Erik Johan Löfgren (15 May 1825,

Turku Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...

- 10 December 1884, Turku) was a Finnish-Swedish portrait painter.

Biography

Fredrik Cygnaeus by Erik Johan Löfgren black and white

He was born to a family of merchants. His first art lessons came from a Norwegian-born drawing teacher named T.J. Legler who, together with his friends, convinced Löfgren's father that he should be sent to Stockholm for further studies.Erik Johan Löfgren
by Antonella Storti @ BlogSpot. He was enrolled 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, archite ...

in Stockholm from 1842 to 1852 and studied with Fredric Westin.Brief biography
@ Projekt Runeberg. In 1846, Robert Wilhelm Ekman was able to gain a grant for him from the Finnish Art Association so he could continue his studies. Two years later, again in need of money, the influential literary critic

Fredrik Cygnaeus Fredrik Cygnaeus (1 April 1807 – 7 February 1881) was a Finnish poet, art critic and collector, docent of history and university professor of aesthetics and literature. Cygnaeus was an influential figure in Finnish art and literature, cont ...

suggested that he provide illustrations for "

Döbeln Döbeln ( hsb, Doblin) is a town in Saxony, Germany, part of the Mittelsachsen district, on both banks of the river Freiberger Mulde. History * 981: First written mention of Döbeln (Margravate of Meissen). * Around 1220: Döbeln is describe ...

at Jutas", a section from ''

The Tales of Ensign Stål ''The Tales of Ensign Stål'' (Swedish language, Swedish original title: , fi, Vänrikki Stoolin tarinat, or year 2007 translation ) is an epic poem written in Swedish by the Finland-Swedish author Johan Ludvig Runeberg, the national poet of Fin ...

'', a new epic poem by Johan Ludvig Runeberg, but only sketches were completed. In 1851, Cygnæus helped to organize an exhibition to raise money for his post-graduate studies. He presented portraits of

Psyche Psyche (''Psyché'' in French) is the Greek term for "soul" (ψυχή). Psyche may also refer to: Psychology * Psyche (psychology), the totality of the human mind, conscious and unconscious * ''Psyche'', an 1846 book about the unconscious by Car ...

and

Tycho Brahe Tycho Brahe ( ; born Tyge Ottesen Brahe; generally called Tycho (14 December 154624 October 1601) was a Danish astronomer, known for his comprehensive astronomical observations, generally considered to be the most accurate of his time. He was ...

. Once again, on Cygnæus' recommendation, he chose to go to the

Kunstakademie Düsseldorf The Kunstakademie Düsseldorf is the academy of fine arts of the state of North Rhine Westphalia at the city of Düsseldorf, Germany. Notable artists who studied or taught at the academy include Joseph Beuys, Gerhard Richter, Magdalena Jetelová ...

in 1853. His primary instructors there were Theodor Hildebrandt and Otto Mengelberg. He completed five paintings on themes they recommended; including Jesus in

Gethsemane Gethsemane () is a garden at the foot of the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem where, according to the four Gospels of the New Testament, Jesus underwent the agony in the garden and was arrested before his crucifixion. It is a place of great resona ...

and

Hagar Hagar, of uncertain origin; ar, هَاجَر, Hājar; grc, Ἁγάρ, Hagár; la, Agar is a biblical woman. According to the Book of Genesis, she was an Egyptian slave, a handmaiden of Sarah (then known as ''Sarai''), whom Sarah gave to h ...

in the desert with Ishmael. Erik XIV and Karin Månsdotter

He returned to Finland in 1858 and remained there until 1862, living in Turku at first, then moving to Helsinki, where he became a successful portrait painter and teacher. But, after sixteen years abroad, he became restless at home and took an opportunity to move to Paris. The following two years, he exhibited at the Salon. In 1864, he completed what is, perhaps, his best known work;

Karin Månsdotter Karin Månsdotter (in English Catherine; 6 November 1550 – 13 September 1612) was first a mistress of King Eric XIV of Sweden and then briefly queen as his wife. Early life Karin was born in Stockholm to a soldier and later prison guard na ...

with mad King

Erik XIV Eric XIV ( sv, Erik XIV; 13 December 153326 February 1577) was King of Sweden from 1560 until he was deposed in 1569. Eric XIV was the eldest son of Gustav I (1496–1560) and Catherine of Saxe-Lauenburg (1513–1535). He was also ruler of Est ...

sleeping on her knee. After being exhibited in Sweden, King

Charles XV Charles XV also Carl (''Carl Ludvig Eugen''); Swedish: ''Karl XV'' and Norwegian: ''Karl IV'' (3 May 1826 – 18 September 1872) was King of Sweden (''Charles XV'') and Norway, there often referred to as Charles IV, from 8 July 1859 until his dea ...

awarded him the medal "

Litteris et Artibus Litteris et Artibus is a Swedish royal medal established in 1853 by Charles XV of Sweden, who was then crown prince. It is awarded to people who have made important contributions to culture, especially music, dramatic art and literature. The o ...

". After returning to Finland in 1865 and settling in Helsinki, he devoted himself entirely to portrait painting. In addition to Cygnæus and Runeberg, his sitters included ,

Zachris Topelius Zachris Topelius (, ; 14 January 181812 March 1898) was a Finnish author, poet, journalist, historian, and rector of the University of Helsinki who wrote novels related to Finnish history. Given name Zacharias is his baptismal name, and this ...

and

Magnus von Wright Magnus von Wright (13 June 1805 – 5 July 1868) was a Swedish-Finnish painter and educator. In addition to bird illustrations, he was also known for his landscapes. Biography Magnus von Wright was born at the village of Haminalahti in Ku ...

. In 1878, he received a commission from the church in

Somero Somero () is a town and municipality of Finland. It is part of the Southwest Finland region in the province of Western Finland, located northeast of Salo, east of Turku and northwest of Helsinki. The municipality has a population of () and cov ...

for an altarpiece featuring the

Transfiguration of Jesus In the New Testament, the Transfiguration of Jesus is an event where Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant in glory upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels (, , ) describe it, and the Second Epistle of Peter also refers to it (). In these ...

. He began working there then, in 1879, went to Munich to complete some of the panels. While there, he became seriously ill and returned to the family home in Turku in 1881. He soon had a stroke, followed by a loss of vision that left him unable to work, and died in 1884.

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lofgren, Erik Johan 1825 births 1884 deaths People from Turku Kunstakademie Düsseldorf alumni Finnish male painters Portrait painters Swedish-speaking Finns Litteris et Artibus recipients 19th-century Finnish painters 19th-century Finnish male artists

Biography

References

Further reading

External links