Oscar Emil Törnå (18 October 1842 - 3 June 1894) was a Swedish landscape painter, illustrator and graphic artist.

Biography

Törnå was born at Kättilstads Parish in

Östergötland Östergötland (; English exonym: East Gothland) is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden (''landskap'' in Swedish) in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland and the Baltic Sea. In older English li ...

, Sweden. Of French ancestry, he was the son of Gudmund Teurneau and Anna Maja Persdotter. He began receiving an education in the trades when he was fourteen, but eventually displayed an aptitude for art. Thanks to the support of some well-to-do neighbors, he was able to enroll at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts and participated in the Academy's exhibition of 1868. He was awarded a medal in 1870 for one of his first landscape paintings. Impatient to receive a travel scholarship, he took off on his own in 1873 and went to Düsseldorf, but was not pleased with their teaching methods and later felt that he had wasted his time there. Finally, in 1874, he obtained a trave scholarship and went to Paris via Brussels. His feelings about his studies in Germany were confirmed when he visited 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 ...

and was exposed to the more Naturalistic styles prevalent there. During his first summer in France, he lived in Montigny-sur-Loing and

Marlotte Bourron-Marlotte () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. In the second half of the 19th century, it was visited by several impressionist painters including Alfred Sisley, Pierre-August ...

, painting forest and river scenes. In 1877, he exhibited two landscape paintings at the Salon and they received praise from the critic,

Louis Edmond Duranty Louis Edmond Duranty (6 June 1833 – 9 April 1880) was a prolific French novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professi ...

. One was purchased by

Adolphe Goupil ''Adolphe'' is a classic French novel by Benjamin Constant, first published in 1816. It tells the story of an alienated young man, Adolphe, who falls in love with an older woman, Ellénore, the Polish mistress of the Comte de P***. Their illicit ...

. He made further painting trips to Marlotte, Nemours and Grez, but his showing at the 1878 Salon was not as successful. Upon returning to Sweden, he immediately organized an exhibition. This time, he made an impression, as most Swedish landscape painters were still making sketches outdoors and completing their paintings in their studios, rather than working en

plein aire ''En plein air'' (; French for 'outdoors'), or ''plein air'' painting, is the act of painting outdoors. This method contrasts with studio painting or academic rules that might create a predetermined look. The theory of 'En plein air' painting ...

. Several of his works were purchased by the Royal Academy to be used for study material in their landscape classes. The Stockholm archipelago, Södermanland and Östergötland were his favorite places to paint. In 1885, he joined a group known as the Opponents ('' Opponenterna'') which was protesting what they felt were the outmoded methods of teaching at the Royal Academy. However, after participating in one of their exhibitions, he left the group because he felt it was counterproductive. By the late 1880s, a combination of ill-health and resistance to new methods or styles eventually reduced the quality of his workmanship. He died at

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 ...

during 1894 and was buried at

Solna Church Solna Church ( sv, Solna kyrka) is a so-called round church in Solna Municipality near Stockholm, Sweden. It is part of Solna Parish in the Diocese of Stockholm. The church is located on the headland between Brunnsviken and Ulvsundasjön, at t ...

. Small selections of his work may be seen at the Göteborgs konstmuseum,Göteborgs konstmuseum
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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 ...

Biography

References

Further reading