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

decorative painter A house painter and decorator is a tradesperson responsible for the painting and decorating of buildings, and is also known as a decorator, or house painter.''The Modern Painter and Decorator'' volume 1 1921 Caxton The purpose of painting is t ...

Biography

Kronberg was born in

Karlskrona Karlskrona (, , ) is a locality and the seat of Karlskrona Municipality, Blekinge County, Sweden with a population of 66,675 in 2018. It is also the capital of Blekinge County. Karlskrona is known as Sweden's only baroque city and is host to ...

, Sweden, in 1850. At 13, he was admitted to the

Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (), commonly called the Royal Academy, is located in Stockholm, Sweden. An independent organization that promotes the development of painting, sculpture, architecture, and other fine arts, it is one of seve ...

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

Gustav Vasa Gustav Eriksson Vasa (12 May 1496 – 29 September 1560), also known as Gustav I, was King of Sweden from 1523 until his death in 1560. He was previously self-recognised Protector of the Realm (''Reichsverweser#Sweden, Riksföreståndare'') fr ...

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 Johan Fredrik Höckert (26 August 1826 – 16 September 1866) was a well-known Swedish artist from Jönköping known for his colorful, dramatic oil paintings depicting historical events. He is one of the most famous nineteenth-century painters in ...

. A travel scholarship in 1873 enabled him to visit

Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

, and

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

After a short stay in

Venice Venice ( ; ; , formerly ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto Regions of Italy, region. It is built on a group of 118 islands that are separated by expanses of open water and by canals; portions of the city are li ...

, he spent considerable time in

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

. There he became interested in decorative painting and was exposed to the work of

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

, 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 60 pla ...

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 Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; 5 March 1696 – 27 March 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 ...

. 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 The National Off-Road Racing Association (usually abbreviated NORRA) i ...

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

Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 23 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, ( 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 Palace is in Stadsholm ...

, a portrayal of Jesus' life in the dome of

Adolf Fredrik Church Adolf Fredrik Church () 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 inaugurated on 27 November 1774. Its ce ...

, and a

proscenium A proscenium (, ) is the virtual vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor itself, which serves as the frame ...

depicting

Eros Eros (, ; ) is the Greek god of love and sex. The Romans referred to him as Cupid or Amor. In the earliest account, he is a primordial god, while in later accounts he is the child of Aphrodite. He is usually presented as a handsome young ma ...

at the

Royal Dramatic Theatre The Royal Dramatic Theatre (, 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 theatre has been at its present lo ...

. He made a final study trip in 1894 to

Würzburg Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is, after Nuremberg and Fürth, the Franconia#Towns and cities, third-largest city in Franconia located in the north of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. It sp ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

and Venice, where he focused on

Tiepolo Giovanni Battista Tiepolo ( , ; 5 March 1696 – 27 March 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 importa ...

'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 (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 repetitive. Later, he developed an interest in

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

. During his final years, he suffered from

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving Cell growth#Disorders, abnormal cell growth with the potential to Invasion (cancer), invade or Metastasis, spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Po ...

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

Nordic Museum The Nordic Museum () 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 to begin in 1520) to the ...

and, at the expense of Wilhelmina von Hallwyl, 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 ( ) were a Swedish pop group formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. They are one of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, and are one of the List ...

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

His works may be seen at the

Gothenburg Museum of Art Gothenburg Museum of Art () is located at Götaplatsen in Gothenburg, Sweden. It claims to be the third-largest art museum in Sweden by the size of its collection. Collections The museum holds the world's finest collection of late 19th-cen ...

, Skansen and the

Hallwyl Museum Hallwyl Museum () is a Swedish national museum housed in the historical Hallwyl House in central Stockholm located on 4, Hamngatan facing Berzelii Park. The house once belonged to the Count and Countess von Hallwyl, but was donated to the Swedi ...

.Hallwylska museet
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Selected works

File:Julius Kronberg - Romeo och Julia på balkongen.jpg, ''

Romeo and Juliet ''The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet'', often shortened to ''Romeo and Juliet'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare about the romance between two young Italians from feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's ...

on the Balcony'' (1886) File:David and Saul (Julius Kronberg) - Nationalmuseum - 18384.tif, ''

David David (; , "beloved one") was a king of ancient Israel and Judah and the third king of the United Monarchy, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament. The Tel Dan stele, an Aramaic-inscribed stone erected by a king of Aram-Dam ...

and

Saul Saul (; , ; , ; ) was a monarch of ancient Israel and Judah and, according to the Hebrew Bible and Old Testament, the first king of the United Monarchy, a polity of uncertain historicity. His reign, traditionally placed in the late eleventh c ...

'' (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 () or Carolus Rex (17 June 1682 – 30 November 1718 O.S.), was King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718. He belonged to the House of Palatinate-Zweibrücken, a branch line of the House of Wittelsbach. Charles was the ...

(1893) File:Julius Kronberg - Perseus liberating Andromeda DSC7281.jpg, ''

Perseus In Greek mythology, Perseus (, ; Greek language, Greek: Περσεύς, Romanization of Greek, translit. Perseús) is the legendary founder of the Perseid dynasty. He was, alongside Cadmus and Bellerophon, the greatest Greek hero and slayer of ...

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 (born 350–370 – March 415 AD) was a Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician who lived in Alexandria, Egypt (Roman province), Egypt: at that time a major city of the Eastern Roman Empire. In Alexandria, Hypatia was ...

'' (1889) File:Cupids (Julius Kronberg) - Nationalmuseum - 21076.tif, ''Cupids'' (1881) File:Sappho by Julius Johann Ferdinand Kronberg 1913.jpg, ''

Sappho Sappho (; ''Sapphṓ'' ; Aeolic Greek ''Psápphō''; ) was an Ancient Greek poet from Eresos or Mytilene on the island of Lesbos. Sappho is known for her lyric poetry, written to be sung while accompanied by music. In ancient times, Sapph ...

'' (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 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

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 People from Karlskrona Artists from Blekinge County

Biography

Selected works

References

Further reading

External links