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Knut Alfred Ekwall (3 April 1843, Säby Parish (now
In 1870, he worked as an artist in Munich, then moved to 
His sister, Emma, also became an artist. His brothers, Gustaf (1858–1920) and Hugo (1854–?) both became metal engravers.''
Tranås
Tranås () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Tranås Municipality, Jönköping County, Sweden with 14,197 inhabitants in 2010.
Overview
It is close to the lake Sommen in the north of Småland. Its main commercial center is locat ...
), Småland
Småland () is a historical Provinces of Sweden, province () in southern Sweden.
Småland borders Blekinge, Scania, Halland, Västergötland, Östergötland and the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. The name ''Småland'' literally means "small la ...
– 16 April 1912, Tranås) was a Swedish painter and illustrator. He is best known for his genre
Genre () is any style or form of communication in any mode (written, spoken, digital, artistic, etc.) with socially agreed-upon conventions developed over time. In popular usage, it normally describes a category of literature, music, or other fo ...
works, many of which have women and children for their subjects.
Biography
His father was a bailiff for the CrownEnforcement Authority
The Swedish Enforcement Authority (, ; abbreviated as KFM; colloquially known as Kronofogden) is the government agency in Sweden responsible of debt collection, distraint, evictions, and enforcement of court orders. The authority also supervise ...
. His talents were noticed by Marcus Larson who offered him space in his studio in 1858. The studio burnt down, but he was still able to study with Larson then, on that basis, gain admission 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 ...
, where he studied from 1860 to 1866, with an emphasis on woodcut
Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...
ting. After graduating, he was employed as a cartoonist by the '. Thanks to financial support from Count , he was able to study in Germany. he was a student of Ludwig Knaus
Ludwig Knaus (5 October 1829 – 7 December 1910) was a German genre painter of the younger 7 Düsseldorf school of painting.
Biography
He was born at Wiesbaden and studied from 1845 to 1852 under Sohn and Schadow in Düsseldorf. His early ...
in Berlin.
In 1870, he worked as an artist in Munich, then moved to Leipzig
Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...
, where he worked for the ''Illustrirte Zeitung
''Illustrirte Zeitung''The word "Illustrirt" is written in contemporary German mandatorily as "Illustriert" with an additional "e", leading to the fact that today's German-speaking readers may be irritated by the title of the historical magazine ...
''. In 1871, he married the opera singer, Johanna Maria Theresia Burkowitz-Pönitz (1851–1933), and decided to stay in Germany. In 1876, they moved to Berlin, where he studied with the famous portrait and genre painter, Ludwig Knaus
Ludwig Knaus (5 October 1829 – 7 December 1910) was a German genre painter of the younger 7 Düsseldorf school of painting.
Biography
He was born at Wiesbaden and studied from 1845 to 1852 under Sohn and Schadow in Düsseldorf. His early ...
. While there, he continued his work as an illustrator, for several publications, including ''Die Gartenlaube
(; ) was the first successful mass-circulation German newspaper and a forerunner of all modern magazines.Sylvia Palatschek: ''Popular Historiographies in the 19th and 20th Centuries'' (Oxford: Berghahn, 2010) p. 41 It was founded by publisher ...
''. He also provided illustrations for the epic poem ''Frithiofs saga
Frithiof's Saga () is a legendary saga from Iceland which in its present form is from ca. 1300. It is a continuation from ''The Saga of Thorstein Víkingsson'' (''Þorsteins saga Víkingssonar''). It takes place principally in Norway during the ...
'', translated by Esaias Tegnér
Esaias Tegnér (; – ) was a Swedish writer, professor of Greek, and bishop. During the 19th century, he was regarded as the father of modern poetry in Sweden, mainly through the national romantic epic '' Frithjof's Saga''. He has been called ...
.
He and Johanna returned to Sweden in 1885, with their seven children, and settled into a home he had designed himself, on the shores of Lake Sommen. Although he held no official position, the locals called him "Professor". He travelled constantly, however, arranging exhibitions. During his absences, Johanna gave music lessons to the children. Five of them became known as the Ekwallska Kvintetten and toured throughout the area. In 1890, they had another daughter, , who became a sculptor.
In 1912, his home at Lake Sommen burned down. Most of his work and personal papers were lost. He had been lying in his bedroom, ill, for some time, but was rescued and taken to the nearby . A few weeks later, he died there.
His works may be seen at the Nationalmuseum
Nationalmuseum is the List of national galleries, national gallery of fine arts of Sweden, located on the peninsula Blasieholmen in central Stockholm.
The museum's operations stretch far beyond the borders of Blasieholmen, including the Natio ...
and the Nordiska museet.
His sister, Emma, also became an artist. His brothers, Gustaf (1858–1920) and Hugo (1854–?) both became metal engravers.''Svenskt konstnärslexikon
The ''Svenskt konstnärslexikon'' is a dictionary of Swedish art and artists that was published in five volumes by Allhems Förlag AB from 1952 to 1967.Biography
@ the '' Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon''
Biography
from the ''Nordisk Familjebok'' @
Vital statistics
@ ''Lexikonett Amanda''
More works by Ekwall
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Ekwall, Knut 1843 births 1912 deaths 19th-century German painters German male painters 20th-century German painters 19th-century Swedish painters 19th-century German male artists Swedish male painters 20th-century Swedish painters 20th-century German male artists 19th-century Swedish male artists 20th-century Swedish male artists People from Tranås Municipality Artists from Jönköping County
@ the '' Svenskt Biografiskt Lexikon''
Biography
from the ''Nordisk Familjebok'' @
Project Runeberg
Project Runeberg () is a digital cultural archive initiative that publishes free electronic versions of books significant to the culture and history of the Nordic countries. Patterned after Project Gutenberg, it was founded by Lars Aronsson and ...
Vital statistics
@ ''Lexikonett Amanda''
External links
More works by Ekwall
@ ArtNet {{DEFAULTSORT:Ekwall, Knut 1843 births 1912 deaths 19th-century German painters German male painters 20th-century German painters 19th-century Swedish painters 19th-century German male artists Swedish male painters 20th-century Swedish painters 20th-century German male artists 19th-century Swedish male artists 20th-century Swedish male artists People from Tranås Municipality Artists from Jönköping County