Night Troll with Guide Dog

The stone sculpture Night Troll by the artist Matthías Rúnar Sigurðsson confronts the viewer with a solemn expression. The troll’s large hands grasp the harness of a guide dog, and its posture suggests that it is crouching on its heels: massive toes are visible, and the body appears drawn inward. Its face is grim, with the suggestion of horns emerging from the forehead, recalling demonic figures. The ears are sharply pointed, and when the sculpture is viewed from the side, the troll’s bare arms come into view, emphasising its association with death and horror. It is intriguing to consider the artist’s decision to carve the folktale figure of the night troll in stone, given that its fate is well known: exposure to sunlight turns the creature to stone.

Night Troll with Guide Dog is carved from basalt using hammer, chisel, rasps, a grinding wheel, and a milling cutter. Matthías Rúnar first began carving stone in 2009, working in the attic of his mother’s house shortly before enrolling in the Department of Fine Art at the Iceland University of the Arts. As stone sculpture is not taught as a specialised discipline at the university, he taught himself the craft. The artist develops his ideas through drawing before transferring them to stone, and he also draws directly onto the stone itself to gain a sense of the emerging form. Works by Matthías Rúnar can be found in numerous museums throughout Iceland, as well as in public spaces and private collections.

His work engages in dialogue with folktale-inspired art by pioneers of Icelandic visual culture, such as the sculptor Einar Jónsson and the painter Ásgrímur Jónsson, the latter of whom depicted the story of the night troll in many of his works. Over time, new generations of artists have continued to draw inspiration from the wondrous world of Icelandic folklore. In this sculpture, the ancient realm of folktales merges with the contemporary world, as a dog trained to guide the blind accompanies a troll—an unexpected and poignant meeting of myth and modernity.