Alfred Wahlberg
Encyclopedia
Herman Alfred Leonard Wahlberg (13 February 1834 – 4 October 1906) was a Swedish landscape painter from Stockholm
. After receiving preparatory education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
, Wahlberg moved to Düsseldorf
in 1857 to train. He returned to Stockholm in 1862 and painted Svenskt insjölandskap från Kolmården (1866), which became very famous and was displayed at the National Museum of Arts.
Wahlberg moved to Paris in 1866 and displayed two paintings at the 1868 Paris Salon
. He became successful in Paris and was awarded with medals at the Paris Salon in 1870 and 1872. At the 1878 World's Fair
in Paris, Wahlberg was recognized with a first class medal.
after showing musical talents. He studied piano and clarinet
at the academy. After finishing his studies, Wahlberg joined the orchestra Göta gardes musikkår, and earned money (25–50 öre
per hour) by giving piano lessons. He received preparatory education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
at the same time, although he never became a real student there.
in Germany to train. He was a student of Hans Fredrik Gude for a short time, but made most of his paintings on his own. Wahlberg's paintings were sold either in Germany or to Konstföreningen in Sweden. Before returning to Stockholm in 1862, he made a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium to further his art studies.
Wahlberg's fondness of romantic, dreaming, lyrical, and musical atmospheres is reflected in his paintings depicting the evening and the moonlight's play with tones and light. The most well-known paintings Wahlberg made while living in Düsseldorf are Solnedgång i Bohuslän and Vinterlandskap med björnjakt, both of which depict Swedish forest landscapes. After his return to Stockholm in 1862, Wahlberg painted Storm på holländska kusten (1863), Fors i svensk obygd (largely influenced by Andreas Achenbach
), Borgruinen Niedeck vid Rhen (1863), Skogsparti från Särö (1865), Hörningsholm i månsken (1866), and Svenskt insjölandskap från Kolmården (1866). The later is a carefully composed view of an infinite forest (Kolmården
), a lake, and a summersky. The evening sky and the moonlight is depicted in mild, melting colors. The painting became very famous and was displayed at the National Museum of Arts. Although Wahlberg was still restricted by the limits of his technique, the painting was a large progress in his development as a painter.
—both depicting a fishing place in Bohuslän
; one of them takes place during the night and one during a sunset. These two paintings mark Wahlberg's transition from a Düsseldorf technique to a then modern French technique. He learned by ease the French school's technique and approach to studies, without imitating the well-known French painters. Wahlberg earned success and was awarded with medals at the Paris Salon in 1870 and 1872, and was credited for bringing the then modern techniques of landscape art to Sweden. Almost every summer he made a short return to Sweden to study the nature in places such as Stockholm archipelago
, Skåne, Halland
, and Värmland
.
Among his most famous paintings from this period are Fiskläge vid bohuslänska kusten (1869, bought by Charles XV of Sweden
), Utsikt i Södermanland (view of a meadow and a lake in Södermanland
, 1870), Landskap i månsken (landscape in moonlight, 1870), Månsken från södra Frankrike (moonlight in southern France, 1870), Nääs (a summer evening, 1871), I Vaxholm (an autumn day in Vaxholm
, 1872), I Fontainebleauskogen (Fontainebleau
forest, 1874), Maj i Nizza (May in Nice
, 1878), Afton på Hallands Väderö (evening at an island, 1800), Fjällbacka (moonlight, 1881), and Svensk björkhage (1882). At the 1878 World's Fair
in Paris, Wahlberg was recognized with a first class medal.
Wahlberg's work from the late 1880s and forward include Stockholms ström (1888), Månsken på Hallands Väderö (1889), Oktobernatt (1893), Popplar (1893), Sol på snö i Marstrand (1901), and Svensk sommarnatt (1901). He died on 4 October 1906 in Tranås
.
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...
. After receiving preparatory education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
The Royal Swedish Academy of Arts or Kungl. Akademien för de fria konsterna, founded in 1773 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
, Wahlberg moved to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
in 1857 to train. He returned to Stockholm in 1862 and painted Svenskt insjölandskap från Kolmården (1866), which became very famous and was displayed at the National Museum of Arts.
Wahlberg moved to Paris in 1866 and displayed two paintings at the 1868 Paris Salon
Paris Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
. He became successful in Paris and was awarded with medals at the Paris Salon in 1870 and 1872. At the 1878 World's Fair
Exposition Universelle (1878)
The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May through to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.-Construction:...
in Paris, Wahlberg was recognized with a first class medal.
Early life
Alfred Wahlberg was born on 13 February 1834 in Stockholm, Sweden. His father was a painter and his mother worked with carving. Wahlberg learned his father's profession as a child, but became a student at Royal Swedish Academy of MusicRoyal Swedish Academy of Music
The Royal Swedish Academy of Music or Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien, founded in 1771 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
after showing musical talents. He studied piano and clarinet
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
at the academy. After finishing his studies, Wahlberg joined the orchestra Göta gardes musikkår, and earned money (25–50 öre
Öre
Öre is the discontinued centesimal subdivision of the Swedish krona. The plural and singular are the same in the indefinite forms, whereas the singular definite form is öret and the plural definite is örena. The name derives from the Latin aureus , the name of a coin worth 25 denarii...
per hour) by giving piano lessons. He received preparatory education at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
The Royal Swedish Academy of Arts or Kungl. Akademien för de fria konsterna, founded in 1773 by King Gustav III, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
at the same time, although he never became a real student there.
Early career
Wahlberg enjoyed painting and decided to pursue his father's profession. He started by drawing landscapes, and sold a painting for the first time in 1856 to Konstföreningen (English: The Art Union). In 1857, Wahlberg moved to DüsseldorfDüsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
in Germany to train. He was a student of Hans Fredrik Gude for a short time, but made most of his paintings on his own. Wahlberg's paintings were sold either in Germany or to Konstföreningen in Sweden. Before returning to Stockholm in 1862, he made a trip to the Netherlands and Belgium to further his art studies.
Wahlberg's fondness of romantic, dreaming, lyrical, and musical atmospheres is reflected in his paintings depicting the evening and the moonlight's play with tones and light. The most well-known paintings Wahlberg made while living in Düsseldorf are Solnedgång i Bohuslän and Vinterlandskap med björnjakt, both of which depict Swedish forest landscapes. After his return to Stockholm in 1862, Wahlberg painted Storm på holländska kusten (1863), Fors i svensk obygd (largely influenced by Andreas Achenbach
Andreas Achenbach
Andreas Achenbach was a German landscape painter.Born at Kassel, he began his art education in 1827 in Düsseldorf under Friedrich Wilhelm Schadow at the Düsseldorf Academy of Painting. He studied at St Petersburg and travelled in Italy, Holland and Scandinavia...
), Borgruinen Niedeck vid Rhen (1863), Skogsparti från Särö (1865), Hörningsholm i månsken (1866), and Svenskt insjölandskap från Kolmården (1866). The later is a carefully composed view of an infinite forest (Kolmården
Kolmården
Kolmården is a large forest that separates the Swedish provinces of Södermanland and Östergötland, two of the country's main agricultural areas, from each other.-History:...
), a lake, and a summersky. The evening sky and the moonlight is depicted in mild, melting colors. The painting became very famous and was displayed at the National Museum of Arts. Although Wahlberg was still restricted by the limits of his technique, the painting was a large progress in his development as a painter.
Later career and death
Wahlberg moved to Paris in 1866, and displayed two paintings at the 1868 Paris SalonParis Salon
The Salon , or rarely Paris Salon , beginning in 1725 was the official art exhibition of the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. Between 1748–1890 it was the greatest annual or biannual art event in the Western world...
—both depicting a fishing place in Bohuslän
Bohuslän
' is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland on the northernmost part of the country's west coast. It is bordered by Dalsland to the northeast, Västergötland to the southeast, the Skagerrak arm of the North Sea to the west, and the county of Østfold in Norway to the north...
; one of them takes place during the night and one during a sunset. These two paintings mark Wahlberg's transition from a Düsseldorf technique to a then modern French technique. He learned by ease the French school's technique and approach to studies, without imitating the well-known French painters. Wahlberg earned success and was awarded with medals at the Paris Salon in 1870 and 1872, and was credited for bringing the then modern techniques of landscape art to Sweden. Almost every summer he made a short return to Sweden to study the nature in places such as Stockholm archipelago
Stockholm archipelago
The Stockholm archipelago is the largest archipelago of Sweden, and one of the largest archipelagos of the Baltic Sea.-Geography:The archipelago extends from Stockholm roughly 60 kilometers to the east...
, Skåne, Halland
Halland
' is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden , on the western coast of Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Småland, Scania and the sea of Kattegat.-Administration:...
, and Värmland
Värmland
' is a historical province or landskap in the west of middle Sweden. It borders Västergötland, Dalsland, Dalarna, Västmanland and Närke. It is also bounded by Norway in the west. Latin name versions are Vermelandia and Wermelandia. Although the province's land originally was Götaland, the...
.
Among his most famous paintings from this period are Fiskläge vid bohuslänska kusten (1869, bought by Charles XV of Sweden
Charles XV of Sweden
Charles XV & IV also Carl ; Swedish and Norwegian: Karl was King of Sweden and Norway from 1859 until his death....
), Utsikt i Södermanland (view of a meadow and a lake 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...
, 1870), Landskap i månsken (landscape in moonlight, 1870), Månsken från södra Frankrike (moonlight in southern France, 1870), Nääs (a summer evening, 1871), I Vaxholm (an autumn day in Vaxholm
Vaxholm
Vaxholm is a locality and the seat of Vaxholm Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden. It is located in the Stockholm archipelago. The name Vaxholm comes from Vaxholm Castle, which was constructed in 1549 on an islet with this name on the inlet to Stockholm, for defense purposes, by King Gustav...
, 1872), I Fontainebleauskogen (Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau
Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a sub-prefecture of the Seine-et-Marne department, and it is the seat of the arrondissement of Fontainebleau...
forest, 1874), Maj i Nizza (May in Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
, 1878), Afton på Hallands Väderö (evening at an island, 1800), Fjällbacka (moonlight, 1881), and Svensk björkhage (1882). At the 1878 World's Fair
Exposition Universelle (1878)
The third Paris World's Fair, called an Exposition Universelle in French, was held from 1 May through to 10 November 1878. It celebrated the recovery of France after the 1870 Franco-Prussian War.-Construction:...
in Paris, Wahlberg was recognized with a first class medal.
Wahlberg's work from the late 1880s and forward include Stockholms ström (1888), Månsken på Hallands Väderö (1889), Oktobernatt (1893), Popplar (1893), Sol på snö i Marstrand (1901), and Svensk sommarnatt (1901). He died on 4 October 1906 in Tranås
Tranås
Tranås is a locality and the seat of Tranås Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 14,017 inhabitants in 2005.-Overview:It is close to the lake Sommen in the north of Småland. Its main commercial center is located along the main street, Storgatan. The symbol of the town is the crane as...
.