The Scream (Skriet)

" "I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature."^[
Edvard Munch

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, Sweden

Nike from Samotrakhe

Carl Larsson (1853-1919), Ernst Josephsson (1851-1906),  Jenny Nyström (1854-1946) and Eva Bonnier (1857-1909) were all students at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Konstakademin) I did not even know that this building existed  until last september, but then I am not born and raised in Stockholm. Anyhow, it is almost magical to walk on the worn stairs where all these  well known Swedish artist have walked.

The National Museum of Fine Art (Nationalmuseum) is closed until 2017 because of extensive renovation and that is why you now can go to Konstakademin  and see some of the highlights from the national gallery of Sweden.

Eva Bonnier: Interior of the studio in Paris, 1886 

Amalia Lindegren (1814-1891): The breakfast, 1866

Amanda Lidvall,  Self-portrait 1870/71 (detail)

Amanda was one of the first 18 female students that were accepted when the Royal Academy of Fine Arts opened its door for women in 1864. 

Eva Bonnier: Mrs Hanna Marcus 1886

Ernst Josephsson: Mrs Hanna Marcus, 1880

Hugo Salmson (1843-1894): Portrait of a Young Girl, ca 1880

Vilhelm Hammershöi (1864-1919): Interior, 1898

Rembrandt Harmensz. Van Rijn (1606-1669): The Kitchen Maid, 1651

Rembrandt Harmensz. Van Rijn: Simeon in the Temple, 1668/69

Alexander Roslin (1718-1793): The Artist with his Wife Marie Suzanne Giroust Painting
a Portrait of Henrik Vilhelm Peill, 1767
Alexander Roslin died in 1793 and was then the richest artist in Paris.

Compare this painting with the painting of the Kitchen Maid by Rembrandt (above) made almost 100 years earlier.
Which style do you prefer?

Alexander Roslin: The Lady with the Veil, 1768

Rembrandt: Self-portrait, 1630

Gustave Coubert (1819-1877): Jo, the Beautiful Irish Girl

Frida Fjellman,: Räv, 2007

When I was returning home from this uplifting art experience I and other pedestrians on Drottninggatan were entertained by this man: he was singing MY WAY and with such empathy you just could not dismiss him. He was a true artist!

Millesgården - my oasis

One of my favorite places is Millesgården. Millesgården is an art museum and sculpture garden on the island of Lidingö, just a stone´s throw from Stockholm. Carl and Olga Milles lived and worked here between 1906 and 1931. In 1936  it was donated to the Swedish people.

Carl Milles working in his studio at Millesgården, Lidingö

Hylas

I have slipped into the large studio of Carl Milles a couple of times to perpetuate Hylas (a young boy who was kidnapped by nymphs in the Greek mythology) in my sketchbook. Hylas was Carl Milles first successful work,  made in Paris 1899.  It was exhibited in the Salon de Paris in 1900 and received an honorary mention. A Swedish patron ordered a copy of Hylas made in marble. That sculpture is now to be found in the lobby of Stadshotellet in Västerås.

The hand of God

Posedion, rear view (1930)

Per, my patron

The Sun Worshipper

When there is no danger of frost lots and lots of summer 
flowers are planted in the terraces

Celebration of Sweden´s National Day at Millesgården 

Olga Milles, self portrait

"Somewhat tucked away in one of the buildings are a small number of quite masterly drawings and one painting
all made by Olga Milles, the woman who suffered from the misfortune of being the wife of the highly inflated
Carl. Ironically, Olga´s artistic ambition and productivity all but died after she married Carl, next to whom she
considered herself insignificant. "Olga Milles always scrutinized her artistry with great uncertainty and self-criticism,
while Carl Milles never doubted his greatness."
Hardly a shocker, yet very tragic."

Quote from the blog of Valdemar Lethin.

Portrait made by Olga Milles

Inspired by the beautiful gardens and water sculptures at Millesgården we created this little oasis on our own terrace. The sculpture is a bronze replica of Triton, one of the works of the highly inflated Carl Milles that you can see in a much greater scale at Millesgården.

Studio visit: Cassandra Barney

During my stay in Salt Lake City earlier this year, I had the opportunity to visit Cassandra Barney in her studio in Orem, Utah. She´s a prolific and inspiring artist and she generously answered all my questions. Her husband, sister and father are all artists and her home and studio are bubbling with creativity. Read more about Cassandra here.

She's was also kind to take me to Springville Museum of Art (there are no taxis in Orem...I think) where many of her works were displayed in a joint exhibition called Curiouser & Curiouser: The art of James Christensen, Cassandra Barney, Emily McPhie & Family. 

Cassandra Barney in her studio, which is in the house where she grew up. Her father used
to work in this studio. Now her father lives and works a few houses down the road.

The paintings below are from the exhibition at Springville Museum of Art. The pictures of the drawings are cropped in iPhoto. Unfortunately I don´t have the titles except for one.

The Tree of Knowledge, 2007

Oil on panel

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