Jane Ulla Margareta Bark née Årfelt (9 April 1931 – 14 January 2023) was a Swedish illustrator. She worked first as a commercial artist for ''

Dagens Nyheter (, ), abbreviated ''DN'', is a daily newspaper in Sweden. It is published in Stockholm and aspires to full national and international coverage, and is widely considered Sweden's newspaper of record A newspaper of record is a major nationa ...

'' and went on to illustrate stories in various magazines including ' in the 1960s and 1970s. She later contributed portraits of Swedish celebrities to the magazine '' Fokus''. Her awards included the Swedish advertising prize Platinaägget (The Platinum Egg) in 1985.

Early life and education

Born in Stockholm on 9 April 1931, after completing girls school in 1949, Jane Ulla Margareta Årfelt studied advertising and book art at

Konstfack Konstfack University of Arts, Crafts and Design, is a university college for higher education in the area of art, crafts and design in Stockholm, Sweden. History Konstfack has had several different names since it was founded in 1844 by the eth ...

, graduating in 1953. It was there she befriended fellow student Stig Bark, whom she later married. She completed her education at Högre konstindustriella skolan (Higher Art Industrial School, HKS).

Career

On graduating, Bark first worked for an advertising agency, then in the studio at ''

'' (1956–58). The then worked freelance, contributing illustrations to a variety of newspapers and journals. In particular, she illustrated the short stories published in ''Femina'' in the 1960s and 1970s, often depicting portraits of women in her colourful, undulating style. From 2005 to 2012, she contributed portraits to ''Fokus'' in connection with the people interviewed there each week. Her illustrations of women in ''Femina'' depict bodies which look elastic and almost always in motion. Those she drew for the fashion manufacturer Wahls emphasized the clothes, as she correctly interpreted the needs of her assignments. By the 1990s, in line with the times, her style became more subdued. She also designed attractive covers for all kinds of books, whether detective stories, poetry or novels. After suffering from Alzheimers for a lengthy period, Bark died on 14 January 2023, aged 91. Her work is preserved at MoGA, the digital graphic art museum run by her children John and Molly Bark.

Awards

As early as 1961, Bark was awarded Guldägget (The Golden Egg) at the advertising sector's first gala. In 1985, she received Platinaägget (The Platinum Egg), Sweden's highest award for advertising and design.

References

External links

The MoGA digital museum website
run by Jane Bark's children (in Swedish) {{DEFAULTSORT:Bark, Jane 1931 births 2023 deaths Artists from Stockholm 20th-century Swedish illustrators 21st-century Swedish illustrators Swedish magazine illustrators Swedish women illustrators Swedish advertising artists and illustrators Konstfack alumni