Swedish women artists

In 1910, the association for Swedish women artists was formed. It was called Föreningen Svenska Konstnärinnor and was made up of around 40 artists. It was formed because, at the turn of the twentieth century, only men were allowed to join artists’ associations, meaning that only men could show their work at large exhibitions. Its founder and first president was the artist, Ida von Schulzenheim (1859–1940). The association is still active today.

I went to Prins Eugens place today to see the works of a few women artists who were active when the Föreningen Svenska Konstnärinnor came into being.

One early member was Charlotte Wahlström (1849-1924). She was described as one of the most important Swedish landscape painters of her generation. Wahlström was great chums with Anna Boberg (1864-1935) who loved painting around the north Norwegian islands of Lofoten.

Boberg would traipse around the frozen lakes and glaciers with her specially designed easel that was attached around her waist, and paint scenes like the one above. While only small, it instantly grabbed my attention in a room full of other landscape paintings.

Another artist that grabbed my attention was Ester Almqvist (1869-1934). That could be because she developed into a leading Expressionist painter and I do love a good Expressionist. Here’s one of her paintings:

I love her perspective of the perfect ploughed fields and the perpendicular trees. Also, the clouds.

I read today that these women artists loved painting clouds. Something to do with the short moment in time they occur within. The capture of a cloud is the capture of that moment. It is the fleeting, made permanent. Something that will never be seen again.

Ester was born in Bromma, not far from where we are staying at the moment. She then lived and worked on a farm with her mother. It was here that she started painting people in her landscapes, depicting them as parts of the landscape rather than an imposition.

Another artist in the exhibition I saw today was Ellen Trotzig (1878-1949). Rather than stand outside and paint from life, she would take long walks in the countryside then created ‘synthesized paintings from her impressions’ once she’d returned to her studio.

Trotzig was particularly drawn to paint weather phenomena. Things like rainbows, for instance. Big, bold, colourful, rainbows.

The exhibition at Prins Eugen’s Waldemarsudde, Women Pioneers – Visionary Landscapes, brought together the works of these four female artists and, as usual, was splendid. Although I’m not usually a big fan of landscape painting, I thoroughly enjoyed these works.

My favourite piece was by Almqvist because it is an excellent representation of how our vision of Sweden appears after the snow has fallen and the world returns to warmth.

The only thing missing is the mud.