Mollie Faustman (

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

, la Vagabonde;

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 ...

, 1883 - Stockholm, 1966) was a Swedish painter, illustrator, journalist and author.

Biography

Originally from the district of

Kungsholmen Kungsholmen is an island in Lake Mälaren in Sweden, part of central Stockholm, Sweden. It is situated north of Riddarfjärden and considered part of the historical province Uppland. Its area is with a perimeter of . The highest point is at S ...

, Mollie Faustman was one of the three daughters of engineer Edvard Faustman and professor Alma Karsten; she was the paternal granddaughter of

Wendela Hebbe Wendela Hebbe (9 September 1808, Jönköping – 27 August 1899, Stockholm), was a Swedish journalist, writer, and salon hostess. She was arguably the first permanently employed female journalist at a Swedish newspaper.Berger, Margareta, Pennsk ...

and

Lars Johan Hierta Lars Johan Hierta (; 22 January 1801 – 20 November 1872) was a Swedish newspaper publisher, social critic, businessman and politician. He is best known as the founder of the newspaper ''Aftonbladet'' in 1830. Hierta was a leading agitator for p ...

. She studied with the Swedish artist

Carl Wilhelmson Carl Wilhelm Wilhelmson (12 November 1866, Fiskebäckskil – 24 September 1928, Gothenburg) was a Swedish painter, graphic artist, amateur photographer and art teacher. Biography His father, Anders Wilhelmson, was a "Bästeman" (a type of Nav ...

at the Valand Art School in

Gothenburg 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 ...

from 1905 to 1908. In 1910, she moved 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 ...

to complete her apprenticeship with

Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a draughtsman, printmaker, and sculptor, but is known prima ...

. Faustman married Gösta Törneqvist from 1910 to 1915, before marrying Gösta Chatham a second time from 1917 to 1926. They had two children, Tuttan Faustman-Hedberg (1917-1999), and Hampe Faustman (1919-1961). She was involved in the construction of innovative pedagogical schools such as Olofskolan and Viggbyholmsskolan in the Stockholm area. Faustman is buried at Skogskyrkogården Cemetery in Stockholm.

Artistic career

As early as 1909, Faustman presented her first works alongside the artists Gösta Törneqvist, Frans Timén and Carl Luthander. She focused mainly on brightly colored landscapes with characteristics of

expressionism Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

and romance, including children's motifs. She has also done portraits, including Uno Henning, Ture Nerman and Hanna Borrie. Faustman was a member of the artists' association ''Optimisterna'' from 1924 to 1932, and exhibited with the group at Liljevalchs konsthall. She joined the art group ''Independentna''. She had several solo exhibitions at the House of Artists in Stockholm in the 1930s and 1940s, and participated in group exhibitions imbued with contemporary Christian art. In

1949 Events January * January 1 – A United Nations-sponsored ceasefire brings an end to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947. The war results in a stalemate and the division of Kashmir, which still continues as of 2022. * January 2 – Luis ...

she produced the monumental painting Människans glädjeämnen at Härnösands småskoleseminarium. Faustman is represented 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 ...

Moderna Museet Moderna Museet ("the Museum of Modern Art"), Stockholm, Sweden, is a state museum for modern and contemporary art located on the island of Skeppsholmen in central Stockholm, opened in 1958. In 2009, the museum opened a new branch in Malmö in t ...

, Gothenburg Art Museum, Länsmuseet Gävleborg, Östergötlands Museum, Norrköpings konstmuseum and Hälsingland Museum.

Literary career

Under the pseudonym ''la Vagabonde'', Faustman wrote regularly in the newspapers ''Idun'' and '' Dagens Nyheter''. In 1926, she played a major role in the campaign that led to the closure of the tabloid magazine ''Fäderneslandet''. She also published several books, produced book illustrations and drew

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

s such as ''Tuttan'' and ''Putte'' in the newspaper ''Dagens Nyheter''.

Biography

Artistic career

Literary career

References

Further reading