Albertus Pictor
Encyclopedia
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
), is the most famous late medieval Swedish painter, known for his wallpaintings surviving in numerous churches in southern and central Sweden.
Career
Albertus was originally called Albertus Immenhusen, after the German town of ImmenhausenImmenhausen
Immenhausen is a town in the district of Kassel, in Hesse, Germany. It is located 12 km north of Kassel on the German Framework Road.-External links:*...
in Hessen of which he was a native. He occurs in Swedish historical sources from 1465, when he was admitted a burgher of Arboga
Arboga
Arboga is a locality and the seat of Arboga Municipality in Västmanland County, Sweden with 10,369 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:The city of Arboga is known to have existed as a town since the 13th century but the area has been inhabited since around 900 AD...
. Eight years later he moved to Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, where, in accordance with current practice, he took over the workshop as well as the widow of a deceased painter.
He was a versatile and prolific artist, known to his contemporaries not only for his church wallpaintings, but also as an organist and embroiderer (hence his nickname of Pärlstickare, "Pearl-embroiderer"). More than thirty of his schemes, mostly in a secco
Fresco-secco
Fresco-secco is a fresco painting technique in which pigments ground in water are tempered using egg yolk or whole egg mixed with water which are applied to plaster that has been moistened to simulate fresh plaster. No white is used...
technique, are extant, many in the Lake Mälaren
Mälaren
Lake Mälaren is the third-largest lake in Sweden, after Lakes Vänern and Vättern. Its area is 1,140 km² and its greatest depth is 64 m. Mälaren spans 120 kilometers from east to west...
region, about a third of which bear his signature. Notable examples include wallpaintings at Bromma kyrka, near Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Lid kyrka, in Södermanland
Södermanland
', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
and Täby Kyrkby kyrka in Täby
Täby
Täby is a trimunicipal locality and the seat of Täby Municipality in Stockholm County, Sweden, with 58,593 inhabitants in 2005. It is also partly located in Danderyd Municipality and Sollentuna Municipality...
. Part of his life and work are depicted in the illustrated book, "Albert målare och sommaren i Härkeberga" ("Albert the Painter and the summer in Härkeberga"), which describes his painting of the small church of Härkeberga in Uppland
Uppland
Uppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
(see below).
Celebrations for the quincentenary of his death were arranged for 2009.
Influence
Albertus's illustration of DeathDeath (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
playing chess from Täby kyrka inspired the famous scene in Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
's 1957 film The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal
The Seventh Seal is a 1957 Swedish film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman. Set during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight and a game of chess he plays with the personification of Death , who has come to take his life. Bergman developed the film from his own play...
, in which a knight (Antonius Block) plays chess with personified Death. Albertus Pictor himself appears as a character in the film (played by Gunnar Olsson), in a dialog with Jöns, Antonius Block's squire, while working on a church mural.
Churches with wallpaintings by or attributed to Albertus Pictor
- Almunge (Uppland)
- BrommaBromma ChurchBromma kyrka is a so-called round church in the borough Bromma in Stockholm, Sweden. The oldest parts of the church were built in the later 12th century as a fortress church, and the church is among Stockholm's oldest buildings....
(StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
) - Bälinge (Uppland)
- Danmark (Uppland)
- Dingtuna (Västmanland)
- Ed (Uppland)
- Floda (Sörmland)
- Helga Trefaldighet (Uppsala)
- Husby-Sjutolft (Uppland)
- Håbo-Tibble (Uppland)
- Härkeberga (Uppland)
- Härnevi (Uppland)
- Kalmar (Uppland)
- Kumla (Västmanland)
- Lid (Sörmland)
- Nederluleå (Norrbotten)
- Odensala (Uppland)
- S Per (Uppsala)
- Sala (Västmanland)
- Sollentuna (Uppland)
- SolnaSolna ChurchSolna kyrka is a so-called round church in the borough Solna in Stockholm, Sweden. The church is located on the headland between Brunnsviken and Ulvsundasjön, at the southern end of the cemetery Norra begravningsplatsen...
(UpplandUpplandUppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
) - StorkyrkanStorkyrkanSankt Nikolai kyrka , most commonly known as Storkyrkan and Stockholms domkyrka , is the oldest church in Gamla Stan, the old town in central Stockholm, Sweden. It is an important example of Swedish Brick Gothic...
(StockholmStockholmStockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
) - TorshällaTorshälla ChurchTorshälla Church is a Lutheran church building in Torshälla, Sweden, in the Church of Sweden Diocese of Strängnäs. It serves as the town parish church of Torshälla parish and is located at the Rådhustorget market square....
(SödermanlandSödermanland', sometimes referred to under its Latin form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a historical province or landskap on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergötland, Närke, Västmanland and Uppland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea.In Swedish, the province name is...
) - Täby (UpplandUpplandUppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
) - Uppsala CathedralUppsala CathedralUppsala Cathedral is a cathedral located centrally in the city of Uppsala, Sweden. It dates back to the late 13th century and at a height of 118.7 m is the tallest church building in Scandinavia. Originally built under Roman Catholicism and used for coronations of the Swedish monarch, since the...
(UpplandUpplandUppland is a historical province or landskap on the eastern coast of Sweden, just north of Stockholm, the capital. It borders Södermanland, Västmanland and Gästrikland. It is also bounded by lake Mälaren and the Baltic sea...
) - Vadsbro (Södermanland)
- Vaksala (Uppland)
- Vansö (Sörmland)
- Vittinge (Uppland)
- Vårdinge (Södermanland)
- Vänge (Uppland)
- Västerås Cathedral (Västmanland)
- Yttergran (Uppland)
- Ösmo (Sörmland)
- Österunda (Uppland)
- Övergran (Uppland)
External links
- http://www.albertuspictor.com