Nils Forsberg (17 December 1842 – 8 November 1934) was a Swedish painter who lived and worked in Paris for much of his career.

Life

Forsberg was born in a small village called Riseberga, in the province of

Scania Scania, also known by its native name of Skåne (, ), is the southernmost of the historical provinces of Sweden, provinces (''landskap'') of Sweden. Located in the south tip of the geographical region of Götaland, the province is roughly conte ...

."Forsberg, Nils". In The son of a peasant, he spent his early years in farming, then was apprenticed to a house-painter at

Göteborg Gothenburg (; abbreviated Gbg; sv, Göteborg ) is the second-largest city in Sweden, fifth-largest in the Nordic countries, and capital of the Västra Götaland County. It is situated by the Kattegat, on the west coast of Sweden, and has a p ...

. He made a statue of

Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...

which procured for him a government stipend which enabled him to go to Paris in 1867. In Paris he was a student in the atelier of

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 ...

.Nils Forsberg
. Benezit Dictionary of Artists (2006). . Art historian Richard Muther would later write that Forsberg "became the Swedish Bonnat". The siege of Paris, during which he enlisted in the Ambulance Department, afforded him opportunities for studying and sketching the scenes that he observed. In 1877 he exhibited ''Family of Acrobats before the Circus Director'', now in the

Gothenburg Museum of Art 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 ...

. This work, which typifies Forsberg's commitment to social reform, shows the influence of the French Realists in its depiction of child labor. In 1888 he received the gold medal at the

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

for his painting ''The Death of a Hero'',"Fine Arts in 1888". In now in 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 ...

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 ...

. The culmination of his ambition to renew traditional

history painting History painting is a genre in painting defined by its subject matter rather than any artistic style or specific period. History paintings depict a moment in a narrative story, most often (but not exclusively) Greek and Roman mythology and Bible ...

with a vigorous contemporary realism, it took him several years to complete, and was inspired by his experiences during the Franco-Prussian War. Afterwards he devoted himself more especially to historical subjects. In 1904 he returned to Sweden, where he lived in Helsingborg.Gunnarsson, T. (2003). "Forsberg, Nils, the elder". Grove Art Online. He died in Helsingborg on 8 November 1934. He had a son, Nils Forsberg the younger (b 1870), who was also a painter.

Permanent collections

In total, 25 of Forsberg's works are held by the Nationalmuseum. Several of his works, including the 1900 painting ''Gustaf II Adolf before Battle of Lützen'', are held by the Gothenburg Museum of Art.

Gallery

File:A Communard (Nils Forsberg) - Nationalmuseum - 20117.tif, ''A Communard'' (1871)

File:Akrobatfamilj inför cirkusdirektören.jpg, ''Family of Acrobats before the Circus Director'' (1877) File:Nils Forsberg, Gustav II Adolf.jpg, '' Gustav II Adolf before the Battle of Lutzen'' of 1632, in which the king died.

, 1900 File:Stenbocks kurir.jpg, ''Stenbock's Courier'' (1911) File:Selfportrait (Nils Forsberg) - Nationalmuseum - 19767.tif, Self-portrait (1882)

Life

Permanent collections

Gallery

References

Further reading