Publication of Christian Krohg's Naturalism: Art at the Intersection of Nineteenth-Century Philosophy, Science, and Society

This book traces the career of Norwegian painter, author, critic, and journalist Christian Krohg (1852-1925), best known for his political paintings of the poor, prostitutes, child labor, and Skagen fishermen in the 1880s. Krohg's work is primarily associated with naturalism and was highly influenced by French thinkers, including Emile Zola, Claude Bernard, and Hippolyte Taine. Sjåstad's exploration of Krohg's life and work touches on the relationship of his painting to politics, literature, photography, science, and anthropology. No book-length work has yet been published in English on Krohg, who was also known as Edvard Munch's mentor. In addition to his critical role in Nordic modernism, Krohg's work reached beyond the art world; his novel Albertine and related paintings created a scandal in Norway when the novel was banned upon publication, an event that galvanized support for outlawing prostitution in Norway. The finished book, due for publication in August 2017, will be approximately 296 pages in length and include 80 illustrations of the work of Krohg and his contemporaries.