Johan Christoffer Boklund
Encyclopedia
Johan Christoffer Boklund (15 July 1817 – 9 December 1880) was a Swedish history
, genre
, and portrait painter from Kulla-Gunnarstorp in Scania
. He was the son of a gardener. At the age of fifteen, Boklund came to Lund
, where he worked on illustrations for Sven Nilsson
's works on Scandinavian fauna (under the supervision of Magnus Körner). He then became a student at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen
where J. L. Lund
was his teacher.
In 1837, Boklund went to Stockholm
and began studying at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts
. He made a living as a lithograph and drawing teacher, and produced several small genre paintings of the everyday life (such as Flicka med blomster (English: Girl with flowers) and Köksinteriör (English: Kitchen interior)) and history paintings of the 17th century (such as Gustaf Adolfs afsked från Maria Eleonora (English: Gustaf Adolf's farewell from Maria Eleonora), which was awarded with a medal at the academy).
Together with fellow Swedish painter Johan Fredrik Höckert
, Boklund traveled to Munich
in Germany in 1846 and stayed there for eight years. During the summers he went on study trips to Bavaria
, Tyrol
, and northern Italy. During this period, Boklund primarily devoted his painting to the history genre with subjects from the 17th century, but he also made some paintings depicting picturesque
and architectural interior. In 1853, he sent his painting Den nyfikne trumpetaren (English: The curious trumpet player) home to Sweden and it earned him a scholarship from the government. This allowed Boklund to move to Paris, where he worked at Thomas Couture
's atelier from 1854 to 1855. In December 1855 he returned to Sweden.
Boklund became a teacher in painting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in 1856, and was later appointed as professor. He taught, among others, King Charles XV of Sweden
between 1856 and 1872. They were close friends. In 1866 he became curator
at the Swedish National Museum of Fine Arts, and the following year he was appointed as director of the academy. Boklund was also a member of the committee that organized the 1866 Nordic Art Exhibition in Stockholm. Around the same time, he helped establish the women's section at the academy.
Boklund died on 9 December 1880 in Stockholm. Among the most famous paintings he made after his return to Sweden are Rådplägning: Gustaf II Adolf och tre krigare (1856), Till Karl X Gustaf framföres en ung krigare, som tillfångatagit en polack
(1859), Gustaf II Adolf och Axel Oxenstierna i öfverläggning om tyska kriget (1859), Ordonnans från trettioåriga kriget (1855), Tekla mottager underrättelsen om Max Piccolominis död (1860), Porträtt af drottning Lovisa (1861), Kristus i örtagården (1861), Meranerskyttar efter en målskjutning (1861), Klostergård i Tyrolen (1863), En lärd (1863), Utkik från förskansningarna (1874), and Marodör förföljer sitt rof (1875).
Carola Stuttgardter from Munich became Boklund's wife in 1858.
History painting
History painting is a genre in painting defined by subject matter rather than an artistic style, depicting a moment in a narrative story, rather than a static subject such as a portrait...
, genre
Genre painting
Genre works, also called genre scenes or genre views, are pictorial representations in any of various media that represent scenes or events from everyday life, such as markets, domestic settings, interiors, parties, inn scenes, and street scenes. Such representations may be realistic, imagined, or...
, and portrait painter from Kulla-Gunnarstorp in Scania
Scania
Scania is the southernmost of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden, constituting a peninsula on the southern tip of the Scandinavian peninsula, and some adjacent islands. The modern administrative subdivision Skåne County is almost, but not totally, congruent with the...
. He was the son of a gardener. At the age of fifteen, Boklund came to Lund
Lund
-Main sights:During the 12th and 13th centuries, when the town was the seat of the archbishop, many churches and monasteries were built. At its peak, Lund had 27 churches, but most of them were demolished as result of the Reformation in 1536. Several medieval buildings remain, including Lund...
, where he worked on illustrations for Sven Nilsson
Sven Nilsson
Sven Nilsson was a Swedish zoologist and archaeologist, who was director of the Naturhistoriska Riksmuseet , professor of Natural history at Lund University , and rector of the university...
's works on Scandinavian fauna (under the supervision of Magnus Körner). He then became a student at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
where J. L. Lund
J. L. Lund
Johan Ludwig Gebhard Lund , , Danish painter, was born in Kiel, Duchy of Holstein, to master painter Hans Giewert Lund and his wife Maria Magdalena Christina Bremer...
was his teacher.
In 1837, Boklund went 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...
and began studying 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...
. He made a living as a lithograph and drawing teacher, and produced several small genre paintings of the everyday life (such as Flicka med blomster (English: Girl with flowers) and Köksinteriör (English: Kitchen interior)) and history paintings of the 17th century (such as Gustaf Adolfs afsked från Maria Eleonora (English: Gustaf Adolf's farewell from Maria Eleonora), which was awarded with a medal at the academy).
Together with fellow Swedish painter Johan Fredrik Höckert
Johan Fredrik Höckert
Johan Fredrik Höckert was a well-known Swedish artist from Jönköping known for his colorful, dramatic oil paintings depicting historical events...
, Boklund traveled to Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
in Germany in 1846 and stayed there for eight years. During the summers he went on study trips to Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, Tyrol
County of Tyrol
The County of Tyrol, Princely County from 1504, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire, from 1814 a province of the Austrian Empire and from 1867 a Cisleithanian crown land of Austria-Hungary...
, and northern Italy. During this period, Boklund primarily devoted his painting to the history genre with subjects from the 17th century, but he also made some paintings depicting picturesque
Picturesque
Picturesque is an aesthetic ideal introduced into English cultural debate in 1782 by William Gilpin in Observations on the River Wye, and Several Parts of South Wales, etc. Relative Chiefly to Picturesque Beauty; made in the Summer of the Year 1770, a practical book which instructed England's...
and architectural interior. In 1853, he sent his painting Den nyfikne trumpetaren (English: The curious trumpet player) home to Sweden and it earned him a scholarship from the government. This allowed Boklund to move to Paris, where he worked at Thomas Couture
Thomas Couture
Thomas Couture was an influential French history painter and teacher. Couture taught such later luminaries of the art world as Édouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, John La Farge, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Karel Javůrek, and J-N Sylvestre.-Life:He was born at Senlis, Oise, France...
's atelier from 1854 to 1855. In December 1855 he returned to Sweden.
Boklund became a teacher in painting at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in 1856, and was later appointed as professor. He taught, among others, King 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....
between 1856 and 1872. They were close friends. In 1866 he became curator
Curator
A curator is a manager or overseer. Traditionally, a curator or keeper of a cultural heritage institution is a content specialist responsible for an institution's collections and involved with the interpretation of heritage material...
at the Swedish National Museum of Fine Arts, and the following year he was appointed as director of the academy. Boklund was also a member of the committee that organized the 1866 Nordic Art Exhibition in Stockholm. Around the same time, he helped establish the women's section at the academy.
Boklund died on 9 December 1880 in Stockholm. Among the most famous paintings he made after his return to Sweden are Rådplägning: Gustaf II Adolf och tre krigare (1856), Till Karl X Gustaf framföres en ung krigare, som tillfångatagit en polack
(1859), Gustaf II Adolf och Axel Oxenstierna i öfverläggning om tyska kriget (1859), Ordonnans från trettioåriga kriget (1855), Tekla mottager underrättelsen om Max Piccolominis död (1860), Porträtt af drottning Lovisa (1861), Kristus i örtagården (1861), Meranerskyttar efter en målskjutning (1861), Klostergård i Tyrolen (1863), En lärd (1863), Utkik från förskansningarna (1874), and Marodör förföljer sitt rof (1875).
Carola Stuttgardter from Munich became Boklund's wife in 1858.