Þingvallabóndinn

Jóhannes S. Kjarval

Year : 1947
Height : 145 cm
Width : 123 cm
Category : Málverk
Sub-category : Olíumálverk

This painting depicts the farmer at Þingvellir, Jón Guðmundsson at Brúsastaðir (1883-1959). In 1932, he built a power station at Öxará to electrify Hotel Valhöll, which he owned at the time. The hotel had run on a small diesel motor for a few years but it wasn’t enough. Some remains of the power station can still be seen; the dam and the station building, it was one of the country’s largest private power stations at the time. It was closed down in 1946. Kjarval’s portrait clearly shows Jón’s character as being very forceful, almost like a suit-wearing force of nature.

My collection