Petter Gabriel Wickenberg, known as Pehr (1 October 1812- 19 December 1846) was a Swedish painter and designer who specialized in landscapes with figures.

Biography

Wickenberg was born in Malmö, Sweden. He was the son of Jonas Wickenberg and his wife Katharina Isberg. His father was an officer ('' fanjunkare'') in the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army ( sv, svenska armén) is the land force of the Swedish Armed Forces. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1521, when the men of Dalarna chose 16 young able men as body guards for the insurgent nobleman Gustav Vas ...

. He showed an early talent for drawing and painting and began taking private lessons when he was thirteen. After completing his secondary education in 1830, he helped support his family by selling goods from the

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

s in Malmö. The following year, friends and family took up a collection and raised enough money for him to enroll at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. Despite the assistance, after a time in

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 found himself in financial difficulty. This was lessened somewhat when he was offered lodging with the family of Michael Anckarsvärd (1742-1838), a military officer who was also a part-time artist. To complete his studies, he earned some money by colorizing the illustrations of naval officer (1783-1848) for publication in ''Ett år i Sverige''. He also received support from Johan Gustaf Sandberg (1782–1854) which proved critical, as well as from the new Swedish Association for Art (''Sveriges allmänna konstförening'') which had been founded in 1832. During a cholera epidemic in 1834/35, he was able to stay at a farm in Närke owned by (1783-1874). In 1836, he developed some type of eye disease. Once again, members of the Anckarsvärd family came to his rescue and collected the funds necessary for him to visit the spa in Töplitz for a cure. After his recovery, he spent some time in

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with the

scenic artist A charge artist (or charge scenic artist and also head scenic artist) leads and oversees the painting of stage, film or television scenery. In the United States such individuals are typically members of the United Scenic Artists union. The charge a ...

and decorator, Karl Wilhelm Gropius (1793–1870). Soon after, he went to

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

where he shared a studio with the artist Olof Johan Södermark (1790-1848), until he was able to afford his own on the

Rue Saint-Honoré The rue Saint-Honoré is a street in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It is named after the collegial situated in ancient times within the cloisters of Saint-Honoré. The street, on which are located a number of museums and upscale bou ...

. He soon attracted a wealthy clientele and was able to obtain a larger studio on the Rue de la Bienfaisance in

. In 1838, he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris

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 ...

. The following year, he was named a member candidate (''agré'') at the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture (''Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture'') and received full membership in 1842, the same year he was awarded the Royal Order of Vasa in Sweden. He had been travelling around France and the Low Countries and in 1843 had a brief stay in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. During this time, he suffered from increasingly poor health and his eye disorder recurred every year, leaving him unable to paint. When he was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

, he moved to

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, then to the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

mountain resort of

Eaux-Bonnes Eaux-Bonnes (, "good waters"; oc, Aigas Bonas) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Description Eaux-Bonnes is close to the small town of Laruns. It is situated at a height of at the entrance of a fi ...

seeking a cure. It was to no avail and he died in nearby Pau in 1846, aged only thirty-four. 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 ...

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 ...

Uppsala University Library The Uppsala University Library ( sv, Uppsala universitetsbibliotek) at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, consists of 11 subject libraries, one of which is housed in the old main library building, Carolina Rediviva. The library holds books an ...

Lund University Library Lund University Libraries is a network of public research libraries in Lund, Sweden. References Literature * External links Official site (English)Main branch, official site (English) {{Authority control Academic libraries in Sweden ...

Lunds universitetsbibliotek
/ref> and the Musée du Luxembourg, among many others.

Gallery

Per Gabriel Wickenberg - Segelfartyg och fiskare.jpg, ''Sailing Ships and Fishermen'' (1835) Per Gabriel Wickenberg - Vinterfiske.jpg, ''Winter Fishing'' (1839) Per Gabriel Wickenberg - Vinterlandskap med vandringsman och barn vid vägaltare.jpg, ''Winter Landscape with Man and Children at a Road Altar'' (1840) Per Gabriel Wickenberg - Landskap med vilande kossor.jpg, ''Landscape with Resting Cows'' (1835)

References

Other sources

* Kruse, John (1901
''Petter Gabriel Wickenberg, 1812-1846, ett konstnärsporträtt''
(Stockholm: Ivar Haeggström)

Biography

Gallery

References

Other sources

Further reading