Johan Julius Ferdinand Kronberg (11 December 1850 – 17 October 1921) was a Swedish artist and decorative painter.

Biography

Kronberg was born in Karlskrona, Sweden, in 1850. At the age of thirteen, he was admitted to the

Royal Swedish Academy of Fine 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, architec ...

. In 1870, he was awarded a gold medal for his portrayal of

Gustav Vasa Gustav I, born Gustav Eriksson of the Vasa noble family and later known as Gustav Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560, previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm ('' Riksför ...

receiving a new translation of the Bible (used on a postage stamp in 1941). He studied with Johan Christoffer Boklund, a history painter who had a major influence on his style and, for a short time, Johan Fredrik Höckert. A travel scholarship in 1873 enabled him to visit

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...

After a short stay in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, he spent considerable time in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the third-largest city in Germany, after Berlin and Ha ...

. It was there that he became interested in decorative painting and was exposed to the work of

Hans Makart Hans Makart (28 May 1840 – 3 October 1884) was a 19th-century Austrian academic history painter, designer, and decorator. Makart was a prolific painter whose ideas significantly influenced the development of visual art in Austria-Hungary, Ger ...

, which left a strong impression on him. In 1876 his painting, "Nymph and Faun" was praised by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (, ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than sixty p ...

and led to his becoming an "agré" (a type of member candidate) at the Royal Academy. He settled in Rome in 1877 and lightened his palette, somewhat after the style of Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. Upon returning to Stockholm in 1889, he set up a studio in

Norra Djurgården NORRA or Norra may refer to: * Nordic Regional Airlines, a Finnish airline operating on behalf of, and formerly majority-owned by, Finnair * National Off-Road Racing Association, a desert off-road racing association * Norra (village) Norra (ger ...

and specialized in architectural painting. His motifs were usually taken from mythology or the Bible, as well as works by

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

. Among his best known works are three ceiling paintings in the west staircase of

Stockholm Palace Stockholm Palace or the Royal Palace ( sv, Stockholms slott or ) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch (King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia use Drottningholm Palace as their usual residence). Stockholm Pala ...

, a portrayal of Jesus' life in the dome of

Adolf Fredrik Church Adolf Fredrik Church ( sv, Adolf Fredriks kyrka) is a church in central Stockholm, Sweden, named after Adolf Frederick. It was built in 1768–1774, replacing a wooden chapel from 1674, which was dedicated to Saint Olof. It was opened on 27 Nove ...

and a proscenium depicting

Eros In Greek mythology, Eros (, ; grc, Ἔρως, Érōs, Love, Desire) is the Greek god of love and sex. His Roman counterpart was Cupid ("desire").''Larousse Desk Reference Encyclopedia'', The Book People, Haydock, 1995, p. 215. In the ear ...

at the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre ( sv, Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially ''Dramaten'') is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's five running stages. The the ...

. He made a final study trip in 1894, to

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River. Würzburg ...

Madrid Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...

and Venice, where he focused on

Tiepolo Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; March 5, 1696 – March 27, 1770), also known as Giambattista (or Gianbattista) Tiepolo, was an Italian painter and printmaker from the Republic of Venice who painted in the Rococo style, considered an import ...

's ceiling paintings. The following year, he accepted a professorship at the Royal Academy but, much to the disappointment of his students, resigned in 1898.Nordensvan, Georg (1928). ''Svensk Konst och Svenska Konstnärer i Nittonde Århundradet'', Albert Bonniers Förlag, pg.178 In 1885, he had refused to sign a petition criticizing the teaching methods at the Royal Academy and his relationship with the

Konstnärsförbundet Konstnärsförbundet ('the Artists' Association') was an association of Swedish artists founded in 1886 in opposition to the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. Background and members The association demanded reforms in the Academy's organizat ...

(Artists' Association) cooled considerably. By 1900, their conflicting views had reached the point where he began to withdraw from public life. He became isolated and his works grew repetitious. Later, he developed an interest in

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. During his final years, he suffered from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. After his death in Stockholm in 1921, his studio was bequeathed to the

Nordic Museum The Nordic Museum ( sv, Nordiska museet) is a museum located on Djurgården, an island in central Stockholm, Sweden, dedicated to the cultural history and ethnography of Sweden from the early modern period (in Swedish history, it is said t ...

and, at the expense of

Wilhelmina von Hallwyl Countess Anna Fridrica Wilhelmina von Hallwyl, née Kempe (1 October 1844 − 25 July 1930) was a Swedish collector and donor whose accumulation of art and other objects constitute the current Hallwyl Museum in Stockholm. Biography Wilhelmina was ...

, was moved and reassembled at

Skansen Skansen (; "the Sconce") is the oldest open-air museum and zoo in Sweden located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was opened on 11 October 1891 by Artur Hazelius (1833–1901) to show the way of life in the different parts ...

, an open-air museum and zoo. It served as the setting for the cover photograph of the pop group

ABBA ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group ...

's 1981 album, '' The Visitors''. Julius Kronberg1

His works may be seen at the

Gothenburg Museum of Art Gothenburg Museum of Art ( sv, Göteborgs konstmuseum) is located at Götaplatsen in Gothenburg, Sweden. It claims to be the third largest art museum in Sweden by size of its collection. Collections The museum holds the world's finest collect ...

, Skansen and the Hallwyl Museum.Hallwylska museet
/ref>

Selected works

File:Julius Kronberg - Romeo och Julia på balkongen.jpg, '' Romeo and Juliet on the Balcony'' (1886) File:David and Saul (Julius Kronberg) - Nationalmuseum - 18384.tif, ''

David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

and

Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered t ...

'' (1885) File:Julius Kronberg Der neue Spielkamerad.jpg, ''The New Playmate'' (1873) File:Cupid (Julius Kronberg) - Nationalmuseum - 18340.tif, ''Cupid with a Bow'' (1878) File:Julius Kronberg - Irma von Geijer DSC7318.jpg, ''Irma von Geijer, born of Hallwyl'' (1895) File:Oljemålning av Julius Kronberg föreställande Karl XII - Livrustkammaren - 30910.tif,

Karl XII Charles XII, sometimes Carl XII ( sv, Karl XII) or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden (including current Finland) from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of ...

(1893) File:Julius Kronberg - Perseus liberating Andromeda DSC7281.jpg, '' Perseus liberating Andromeda'' File:Interior roof, Royal Palace, Stockholm.jpg,

ceiling with symbolic figures: Religion, Peace, Science, Industry, and more. File:Takmålning i vardagssalongen - Hallwylska museet - 98431.tif, ''Perseus Releases Andromeda'' (1918) File:Hypatia by Julius Kronberg, 1889.jpg, ''

Hypatia Hypatia, Koine pronunciation (born 350–370; died 415 AD) was a neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt, then part of the Eastern Roman Empire. She was a prominent thinker in Alexandria where ...

'' (1889) File:Cupids (Julius Kronberg) - Nationalmuseum - 21076.tif, ''Cupids'' (1881) File:Sappho by Julius Johann Ferdinand Kronberg 1913.jpg, '' Sappho'' (1913) File:Friluftskonsert .Takmålning i stora salongen - Hallwylska museet - 106999.tif, ''Open Air Concert'' (1898)

References

External links

Biography
@ the '' Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon''
"Julius Kronberg : 70 reproduktioner i tontryck efter fotografier af originalen"
@ the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

More works by Kronberg
@ ArtNet

from the ''Svea Folkkalender'' @ Project Runeberg
Julius Kronbergs Studio
at Skansen {{DEFAULTSORT:Kronberg, Julius 19th-century Swedish painters Swedish male painters 20th-century Swedish painters 1850 births 1921 deaths 19th-century Swedish male artists 20th-century Swedish male artists

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links