('the Opponents') was a group of 84 Swedish artists who, under the leadership of

Ernst Josephson Ernst Abraham Josephson (1851-1906) was a Swedish painter and poet. He specialized in portraits, genre scenes of folklife and folklore. Background He was born to a middle-class family of merchants of Jewish ancestry. His uncle, Ludvig Josephso ...

, organized the Opponent Movement () in the 1880s. On 27 March 1885, the members submitted their written demands 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 ...

for a modernization and reform of art education, exhibition activities and support for artists. However, their demands were rejected, which in turn led to the formation of the

Konstnärsförbundet Konstnärsförbundet ('the Artists' Association') was an association of Swedish artists founded in 1886 in opposition to the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. Background and members The association demanded reforms in the Academy's organizat ...

('the Artists' Association') the following year.

Members

The movement primarily consisted of young artists, who had been to Paris and the Swedish artists' colony in

Grez-sur-Loing Grez-sur-Loing (, literally ''Grez on Loing''; formerly Grès-en-Gâtinais, literally ''Grès in Gâtinais'') is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in north-central France. Sights * The Church of Notre-Dame et Saint-Laurent ''(Church ...

and were influenced by French painting, which soon had a great impact on the Swedish public as well. Some of the Opponents included

August Hagborg Vilhelm Nikolaus August Hagborg (26 May 1852, Gothenburg – 30 April 1921, Paris) was a Swedish painter who spent most of his life in France. Biography His father was an associate professor. Against the wishes of his parents, he decided on a car ...

Per Hasselberg Per Hasselberg (1 January 1850 – 25 July 1894), until 1870 ''Karl Petter Åkesson'', was a Swedish sculptor. He has received critical acclaim mainly for his delicate and allegorical nudes, copies of which are widely distributed in public pla ...

, ,

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 ...

Eugène Jansson Eugène Fredrik Jansson (18 March 1862, Stockholm – 15 June 1915, Skara) was a Swedish painter known for his night-time land- and cityscapes dominated by shades of blue. Towards the end of his life, from about 1904, he mainly painted male nu ...

Richard Bergh Sven Richard Bergh (28 December 1858 – 29 January 1919) was a Swedish painter, art critic and museum manager. Despite many years in France, he remained unattracted to Impressionism, preferring instead the Naturalism of painters such as Jule ...

, Arvid ''Mauritz'' Lindström,

Karl Nordström Karl Fredrik Nordström (11 July 1855 – 16 August 1923) was a Swedish painter who specialized in landscapes. From 1896 to 1920, he was Chairman of the Association of Artists (Konstnärsförbundet). Biography His father was a police commissio ...

, Johan Krauthén, and

Georg Pauli Georg Vilhelm Pauli (2 July 1855, Jönköping - 28 November 1935, Stockholm) was a Swedish painter, known primarily for portraits and figures. He was also the author of numerous art-related books. Biography His father, August Ferdinand Pauli (18 ...

. Most of them were stationed on

Dalarö Dalarö is a locality situated in Haninge Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 1,199 inhabitants in 2010. It is situated south-east of Stockholm and is part of Metropolitan Stockholm and serves as a recreational summer spot for Stockholm ...

in the summers.

Exhibitions

The Opponents' first exhibition took place at in Stockholm on 15 September 1885. The

vernissage A vernissage (from French, originally meaning " varnishing") is a preview of an art exhibition, which may be private, before the formal opening. If the vernissage is not open to the public, but only to invited guests, it is often called a ''pri ...

consisted of 155 exhibited works by 59 different artists.

References

{{Authority control 1880s in Sweden Swedish artist groups and collectives

Members

Exhibitions

See also

References