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Knut Alfred Ekwall (3 April 1843, Säby Parish (now
In 1870, he worked as an artist in Munich, then moved to 
His sister, Emma, also became an artist. His brothers, Gustaf (1858–1920) and Hugo (1854–?) both became metal engravers.''
Knut Alfred Ekwall (3 April 1843, Säby Parish (now Tranås
Tranås () is a locality and the seat of Tranås Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 14,197 inhabitants in 2010.
Overview
It is close to the lake Sommen in the north of Småland. Its main commercial center is located along the main stree ...
), Småland
Småland () is a historical province () in southern Sweden.
Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name Småland literally means ''Small Lands''. The Latinized fo ...
– 16 April 1912, Tranås) was a Swedish painter and illustrator. He is best known for his genre
Genre () is any form or type of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially-agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other for ...
works, many of which have women and children for their subjects.
Biography
His father was a bailiff for the CrownEnforcement Authority
The Swedish Enforcement Authority ( sv, Kronofogdemyndigheten; literally: ''The Crown Bailiff Authority'') is a government agency in charge of debt collection, distraint, evictions, and the enforcement of court orders in Sweden. The authority also ...
. His talents were noticed by Marcus Larson who offered him space in his studio in 1858. The studio burnt down, but he was still able to study with Larson then, on that basis, gain admission to 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 ...
, where he studied from 1860 to 1866, with an emphasis on woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
ting. After graduating, he was employed as a cartoonist by the '. Thanks to financial support from Count , he was able to study in Germany. he was a student of Ludwig Knaus in Berlin.
In 1870, he worked as an artist in Munich, then moved to Leipzig
Leipzig ( , ; Upper Saxon: ) is the most populous city in the German state of Saxony. Leipzig's population of 605,407 inhabitants (1.1 million in the larger urban zone) as of 2021 places the city as Germany's eighth most populous, as wel ...
, where he worked for the ''Illustrirte Zeitung
''Illustrirte Zeitung'' was Germany's first illustrated magazine that existed between 1843 and 1944. It was also known as ''Leipziger illustrirte Zeitung''. The magazine described itself as the Germany's illustrated magazine with the internationa ...
''. In 1871, he married the opera singer, Johanna Maria Theresia Burkowitz-Pönitz (1851–1933), and decided to stay in Germany. In 1876, they moved to Berlin, where he studied with the famous portrait and genre painter, Ludwig Knaus. While there, he continued his work as an illustrator, for several publications, including ''Die Gartenlaube
''Die Gartenlaube – Illustriertes Familienblatt'' (; ) was the first successful mass-circulation German newspaper and a forerunner of all modern magazines.Sylvia Palatschek: ''Popular Historiographies in the 19th and 20th Centuries'' (Oxford: ...
''. He also provided illustrations for the epic poem ''Frithiofs saga
Frithiof's Saga ( is, Friðþjófs saga hins frœkna) is a legendary saga from Iceland which in its present form is from ca. 1300. It is a continuation from ''The Saga of Thorstein Víkingsson'' ('' Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar''). It takes pla ...
'', translated by Esaias Tegnér
Esaias Tegnér (; – ) was a Swedish writer, professor of the Greek language, and bishop. He was during the 19th century regarded as the father of modern poetry in Sweden, mainly through the national romantic epic ''Frithjof's Saga''. He has be ...
.
He and Johanna returned to Sweden in 1885, with their seven children, and settled into a home he had designed himself, on the shores of Lake Sommen. Although he held no official position, the locals called him "Professor". He travelled constantly, however, arranging exhibitions. During his absences, Johanna gave music lessons to the children. Five of them became known as the Ekwallska Kvintetten and toured throughout the area. In 1890, they had another daughter, , who became a sculptor.
In 1912, his home at Lake Sommen burned down. Most of his work and personal papers were lost. He had been lying in his bedroom, ill, for some time, but was rescued and taken to the nearby . A few weeks later, he died there.
His works may be seen at 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 ...
and the Nordiska museet
The Nordic Museum ( sv, Nordiska museet) is a museum located on Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to the cultural history and ethnography of Sweden from the early modern period (in Swedish history, it is said to begi ...
.
His sister, Emma, also became an artist. His brothers, Gustaf (1858–1920) and Hugo (1854–?) both became metal engravers.''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 ''
Biography
from the ''Nordisk Familjebok'' @
Vital statistics
@ ''Lexikonett Amanda''
More works by Ekwall
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Ekwall, Knut 1843 births 1912 deaths 19th-century German painters German male painters 20th-century German painters 19th-century Swedish painters 19th-century German male artists Swedish male painters 20th-century Swedish painters 20th-century German male artists 19th-century Swedish male artists 20th-century Swedish male artists
@ 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 ...
''Biography
from the ''Nordisk Familjebok'' @
Project Runeberg
Project Runeberg ( sv, Projekt Runeberg) is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded ...
Vital statistics
@ ''Lexikonett Amanda''
External links
More works by Ekwall
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Ekwall, Knut 1843 births 1912 deaths 19th-century German painters German male painters 20th-century German painters 19th-century Swedish painters 19th-century German male artists Swedish male painters 20th-century Swedish painters 20th-century German male artists 19th-century Swedish male artists 20th-century Swedish male artists