An errand-boy, a so-called visergutt, enjoys a moment’s pause, holding in grubby fingers an oversized bun and a bowl of coffee, checking how hot it is with a finger. Around his neck he wears a metal badge—his identification tag for work. The room is simply furnished, and in the foreground a large coffee pot stands on in simple mat, perhaps a piece of wood. Christian Krohg achieves a free Naturalism using painterly effects. The metal gleams, the rapid brushwork containing contrasting streaks of light blue and yellow. The artist’s way of adding patches of colour with brushstrokes running in different directions creates a vibrant atmosphere in the room.
Philippa Nanfeldt from The Collection Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg 2014
