Gustaf Olof Cederström (1845-1933) was a Swedish painter who specialized in historical scenes and portraits.
Biography
His father, (1804-1892) was a naval officer and his mother, Theresine (1815-1873), was an amateur painter. His interest in history began when he was still very young and he discovered that one of his ancestors had participated in the
Skirmish at Bender
The Skirmish at Bender ( sv, Kalabaliken i Bender; fi, Benderin kalabaliikki) was devised to remove Charles XII of Sweden from the Ottoman Empire after his military defeats in Russia. It took place on 1 February 1713 on Ottoman territory, in w ...
.
At first, he planned to follow in his father's footsteps and pursue a military career. In 1864, he was assigned to an infantry regiment in
Värmland
Värmland () also known as Wermeland, is a '' landskap'' (historical province) in west-central Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland, and Närke, and is bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are ''Va ...
as an ''
underlöjtnant
''Underlöjtnant'' (from the German word ''Unterleutnant'') was the lowest officer rank in the Swedish Army from 1835 to 1937 instead of the previous ranks of ''fänrik'' and cornet. was reintroduced in 1914 with the same position as , from 1926 ...
'' but, whenever possible, he also took art classes at the
Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts
The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts ( sv, Kungliga Akademien för de fria konsterna), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architec ...
. In 1870, he decided to resign his commission and become an artist. Later, he studied with Ferdinand Fagerlin in
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...
and
Léon Bonnat
Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts.
Early life
Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in M ...
in Paris, where he chose to settle in 1873.
Svensk uppslagsbok
''Svensk uppslagsbok'' is a Swedish encyclopedia published between 1929 and 1955, in two editions.
First edition
The first edition was started in 1929 by ''Baltiska förlaget AB'', but publishing was taken over by ''Svensk uppslagsbok AB'' in 1 ...
, Malmö 1930
His first success came at the
Exposition Universelle (1878)
The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870–71 Franco-Prussian War.
Construction
The buildings and the fairgroun ...
, where he displayed a somewhat romanticized scene featuring the body of the late Swedish King,
Karl XII
Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of ...
, being carried home. It brought him a medal and it was purchased by the Russian Grand Duke Konstantin, but was returned to Sweden after the
Russian Revolution
The Russian Revolution was a period of Political revolution (Trotskyism), political and social revolution that took place in the former Russian Empire which began during the First World War. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and ad ...
and is now on display at the
Göteborgs konstmuseum
Gothenburg Museum of Art ( sv, Göteborgs konstmuseum) is located at Götaplatsen in Gothenburg, Sweden.
It claims to be the third largest art museum in Sweden by size of its collection.
Collections
The museum holds the world's finest collect ...
.Göteborgs konstmuseum /ref> Later that same year, he was elected a member of the Royal Academy and married Amalia Katarina Jaeder. Their daughter, (1878-1954), also became a painter.
He was named a Professor at the Academy in 1887, and served as its Director from 1899 to 1911.Svensk uppslagsbok, Malmö 1939Gustaf Olof Cederström Konstnärslexikonett Amanda In 1894, he became involved in a project to paint historical scenes for the stairwell of the
Nationalmuseum
Nationalmuseum (or National Museum of Fine Arts) is the national gallery of Sweden, located on the peninsula Blasieholmen in central Stockholm.
The museum's operations stretches far beyond the borders of Blasieholmen, the nationalmuseum manag ...
, but a conflict over subject matter arose with
Carl Larsson
Carl Olof Larsson (; 28 May 1853 – 22 January 1919) was a Swedish painter representative of the Arts and Crafts movement. His many paintings include oils, watercolors, and frescoes. He is principally known for his watercolors of idyllic fam ...
, the other artist proposed for the project, and he eventually refused the assignment. In 1906, he did create scenes for the
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages.
The the ...
.
He was also an author. His best known works are an autobiography, ''En gammal konstnärs minnen'' (An Old Artist's Memories, 1926) and ''Gammalt och nytt'' (Old and New, 1929).
Selected paintings
File:Carola Sitting on the Sofa (Gustaf Cederström) - Nationalmuseum - 22254.tif, Carola Sitting on the Sofa
File:Gustaf Cederström - David och Goliath.jpg, David and Goliath
File:Recruiting Sergeants (Gustaf Cederström) - Nationalmuseum - 18743.tif, Recruiting Sergeants
File:Bringing Home the Body of King Karl XII of Sweden (Gustaf Cederström) - Nationalmuseum - 18366.tif, Bringing Home the Body of King Charles XII
References
Other sources
*
Svenskt konstnärslexikon
The ''Svenskt konstnärslexikon'' is a dictionary of Swedish art and artists that was published in five volumes by Allhems Förlag AB from 1952 to 1967.Biography @ the ''
Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon
''Svenskt biografiskt lexikon'' () is a Swedish biographical dictionary, started in 1917. The first volume, covering names ''Abelin'' to ''Anjou'', was published in 1918. As of 2017, names from A to S are covered.
Volumes
# ABELIN – ANJOU (1 ...