Sofia Adolfina Adlersparre (6 March 1808 – 23 March 1862) was a Swedish painter from the Adlersparre family.

Biography

She was born the daughter of a

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

nobleman,

Axel Adlersparre Axel may refer to: People * Axel (name), all persons with the name Places * Axel, Netherlands, a town ** Capture of Axel, a battle at Axel in 1586 Arts, entertainment, media * ''Axel'', a 1988 short film by Nigel Wingrove * ''Axel'', a Cirque d ...

, governor of

Öland Öland (, ; ; sometimes written ''Øland'' in other Scandinavian languages, and often ''Oland'' internationally; la, Oelandia) is the second-largest Swedish island and the smallest of the traditional provinces of Sweden. Öland has an area ...

, and Carolina von Arbin, and displayed a talent for painting in childhood. When the artist C. F. Pedersen became shipwrecked near her home, she was taught by him, and when her family moved to Stockholm in 1830, she was educated by the artists

Carl Gustaf Qvarnström Carl Gustaf Qvarnström (23 March 1810, Stockholm - 5 March 1867, Stockholm) was a Swedish sculptor and painter. Biography His father, , was a chamber servant (kammartjänare) for Princess Sofia Albertina. At the age of eleven, he entered the ...

(1810–1867),

Johan Gustaf Sandberg Johan Gustaf Sandberg (13 May 1782 – 26 June 1854) was a Swedish painter. He was foremost a history painter and used settings from Norse mythology and Swedish history. His most widely known work in this area are his frescoes in Uppsala Cathedr ...

and

Olof Johan Södermark Olof Johan Södermark (11 March 1790 – 15 October 1848) was a Swedish military officer, painter, graphic artist and sculptor. His son, Per Södermark, was also a well-known painter and lithographer. Biography He was born in Landskrona. In 18 ...

(1790–1848). She debuted in 1836 when Crown Princess,

Josephine of Leuchtenberg Joséphine of Leuchtenberg (Joséphine Maximilienne Eugénie Napoléone de Beauharnais; 14 March 1807 – 7 June 1876) was Queen of Sweden and Norway from 8 March 1844 to 8 July 1859 as the wife of King Oscar I. She was also Princess of Bologna f ...

, the future Queen of Sweden, ordered a painting from her and introduced her to useful contacts. Adlersparre made several trips to study art abroad, to Germany, Italy and France. In 1839–1840, she studied under Leon Coignet in Paris, where she met

Carl Wahlbom Johan Wilhelm Carl Wahlbom (16 October 1810 - 25 April 1858) was a Swedish painter, illustrator and sculptor. Biography His father, Adolf, was a pastor and professor and his grandfather, , was a noted doctor and scientist who studied with Carl Lin ...

and Per Wickenberg. When she returned to Sweden, she opened a drawing school, where

Amalia Lindegren Amalia Euphrosyne Lindegren (22 May 181427 December 1891) was a Swedish artist and painter. She was a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts (1856). Biography Amalia Lindegren was born in Stockholm to Anna Catharina Lindgren (d. 1817), w ...

was among her pupils. In 1845, the Queen financed her continued studies in Paris; in 1845–1846, she studied in

Dresden Dresden (, ; Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; wen, label=Upper Sorbian, Drježdźany) is the capital city of the German state of Saxony and its second most populous city, after Leipzig. It is the 12th most populous city of Germany, the fourth larg ...

, where she was inspired by J. C. Dahl and

Caspar David Friedrich Caspar David Friedrich (5 September 1774 – 7 May 1840) was a 19th-century German Romantic landscape painter, generally considered the most important German artist of his generation. He is best known for his mid-period allegorical landscape ...

and copied older paintings, and in 1851–1855 she was given state support to study in

München Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

Bologna Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...

Florence Florence ( ; it, Firenze ) is a city in Central Italy and the capital city of the Tuscany region. It is the most populated city in Tuscany, with 383,083 inhabitants in 2016, and over 1,520,000 in its metropolitan area.Bilancio demografico an ...

and Rome. In Rome, she was a member of the Swedish artist colony and made contact with the German artist colony and the

Nazarene movement The epithet Nazarene was adopted by a group of early 19th-century German Romantic painters who aimed to revive spirituality in art. The name Nazarene came from a term of derision used against them for their affectation of a biblical manner of c ...

under

Friedrich Overbeck Johann Friedrich Overbeck (3 July 1789 – 12 November 1869) was a German painter. As a member of the Nazarene movement, he also made four etchings. Early life and education Born in Lübeck, his ancestors for three generations had been Protes ...

. She also converted to Catholicism and painted

Pope Pius IX Pope Pius IX ( it, Pio IX, ''Pio Nono''; born Giovanni Maria Mastai Ferretti; 13 May 1792 – 7 February 1878) was head of the Catholic Church from 1846 to 1878, the longest verified papal reign. He was notable for convoking the First Vatican ...

. Her paintings reflected the Romantic style of the era, though she was also much influenced by the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

artist

Raphael Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino, better known as Raphael (; or ; March 28 or April 6, 1483April 6, 1520), was an Italian painter and architect of the High Renaissance. List of works by Raphael, His work is admired for its clarity of form, ease of ...

. In 1855, Adlersparre made a visit to Sweden, where her works were exhibited in the Royal Palace. In 1862, she returned permanently to Sweden and was granted a pension from the ''Litteratörernas och Artisternas pensionsförening''. She died shortly after receiving the first payment. The same year, her brother's wife, the

feminist Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...

Sophie Adlersparre Carin ''Sophie'' Adlersparre, known under the pen-name Esselde (born Leijonhufvud; 6 July 1823 – 27 June 1895) was one of the pioneers of the 19th-century women's rights movement in Sweden. She was the founder and editor of the first women' ...

, demanded that women should be able to study art at the

Royal Swedish Academy of 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 ...

on the same terms as men. This demand was met in 1864.

Gallery

File:Josephine of Leuchtenberg by Adlersparre.jpg, alt=Queen Joséphine, by Sofia Adlersparre., '' Queen Joséphine'', by Sofia Adlersparre. File:Mathilda Rotkirch by Adlersparre (detail).jpg, alt=Mathilda Rotkirch (1813–1842) by Sofia Aldersparre, Mathilda Rotkirch (1813–1842) by Sofia Aldersparre File:SOPHIE ADLERSPARRE 1.jpg, alt=Double portrait, Double portrait File:SOPHIE ADLERSPARRE Портрет мужчины.jpg, alt=Portrait of a man, Portrait of a man File:SOPHIE ADLERSPARRE 3.jpg, alt=Portrait of a woman, Portrait of a woman

Sources

* Österberg, Carin et al., ''Svenska kvinnor: föregångare, nyskapare''. Lund: Signum 1990. () * Stålberg, Wilhelmina & P. G. Berg
''Anteckningar om svenska qvinnor 1864-1866''

Biography

Gallery

Sources

Further reading