Which Tolkien work was published in 1945 as a story about an artist named Niggle?

Leaf by Niggle was published in 1945 as Tolkien’s story about an artist named Niggle.

The story first appeared in the Dublin Review in January 1945. Niggle is a painter who becomes absorbed in creating a single immense tree, yet struggles with interruptions, practical duties, and his own limited time. The tale is often read as a reflection on artistic creation, mortality, duty, and the relationship between a small work and a larger unrealized vision.

Leaf by Niggle is not part of the Middle-earth narrative. It is a brief allegorical or fantastical story, and its title refers to a leaf that belongs to Niggle’s larger painting. Readers sometimes confuse it with Tolkien’s later short works, including Smith of Wootton Major.