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Niklas Lafrensen (30 October 1737 - 6 December 1807) was a Swedish
Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon
* Carl G. Laurin, Art History, Stockholm 1919 * Carlquist, Gunnar, ed (1933). Swedish dictionary. Bd 16. Malmo Swedish Uppslagsbok AB. pg. 688-689 18th-century Swedish painters 18th-century Swedish male artists Swedish male painters 19th-century Swedish painters 1737 births 1807 deaths Artists from Stockholm 19th-century Swedish male artists {{Sweden-artist-stub
Niklas Lafrensen (30 October 1737 - 6 December 1807) was a Swedish 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 ...
and miniature
A miniature is a small-scale reproduction, or a small version. It may refer to:
* Portrait miniature, a miniature portrait painting
* Miniature art, miniature painting, engraving and sculpture
* Miniature (chess), a masterful chess game or problem ...
painter. Active in Paris and Stockholm, Lafrensen is considered one of the chief European miniaturist of the second half of the 18th century.
Niklas Lafrensen (known in French as Nicolas Lavreince) was the son of painter Niklas Lafrensen the Elder and Magdalena Stuur. His father was a skilled miniature portrait painter, popular at the Swedish court. Lafrensen received his earliest training from him. His father thought him miniature painting as well as the gouache technique. Lafrensen the younger was in Paris from 1762 to 1769. In 1773 he became a member of the Painter and Sculptor Academy. In Paris, he came under the influence of the French Rococo, which suited his temperament. He chose to represent realistic topics in painting, as opposed to subjects relating to the antique world. This granted him popularity among the public. By contrast, he wasn't a favorite of the intellectuals and pedagogues. Upon his return to Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
, he was appointed Royal Court Miniature Painter, and was commissioned a dozen miniature portraits by Prince Gustav. Lafrensen was accepted in 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 ...
, but later passed over.
He is said to have become exasperated that he had been passed over by his professors, and that was the reason he left Sweden in 1774 and re-settled in Paris, where for 17 years worked as an artist under the name Lavreince. In 1791 Lafrensen was forced to leave France during the French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
, and came home to Sweden and painted a portrait of (now) King Gustav III
Gustav III (29 March 1792), also called ''Gustavus III'', was Monarchy of Sweden, King of Sweden from 1771 until his assassination in 1792. He was the eldest son of Adolf Frederick of Sweden and Queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia.
Gustav was a voca ...
shortly before his death. In the latter part of his life his artistic output was scarce.
Besides miniatures, Lafrensen painted mostly gouache
Gouache (; ), body color, or opaque watercolor is a water-medium paint consisting of natural pigment, water, a binding agent (usually gum arabic or dextrin), and sometimes additional inert material. Gouache is designed to be opaque. Gouache h ...
. Lafrensen is represented in a number of Swedish and foreign museums, including a dozen of his works at The Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
. 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 ...
owns about 50 of his miniatures and 13 gouaches, including ''Three Ladies Who Make Music'', ''Music Making Men and Women in Landscape'' and ''Card Gaming Ladies''.
References
External links
Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon
* Carl G. Laurin, Art History, Stockholm 1919 * Carlquist, Gunnar, ed (1933). Swedish dictionary. Bd 16. Malmo Swedish Uppslagsbok AB. pg. 688-689 18th-century Swedish painters 18th-century Swedish male artists Swedish male painters 19th-century Swedish painters 1737 births 1807 deaths Artists from Stockholm 19th-century Swedish male artists {{Sweden-artist-stub