Petter Gabriel Wickenberg, known as Per (1 October 1812- 19 December 1846) was a Swedish painter and designer who specialized in landscapes with figures.

Biography

Wickenberg was born in Malmö, Sweden. He was the son of Jonas Wickenberg and his wife Katharina Isberg. His father was an officer (''

fanjunkare Fanjunkare (OR-7) is a Swedish military rank above Översergeant and below Överfanjunkare. The word 'Fanjunkare' is derived from German 'Fahnenjunker', and denotes a standard-bearer, hence 'Colour Sergeant'. History ''Fanjunkare'' means "nob ...

'') in the

Swedish Army The Swedish Army () is the army, land force of the Swedish Armed Forces of the Kingdom of Sweden. Beginning with its service in 1521, the Swedish Army has been active for more than 500 years. History Svea Life Guards dates back to the year 1 ...

. He showed an early talent for drawing and painting and began taking private lessons when he was thirteen. After completing his secondary education in 1830, he helped support his family by selling goods from the

barge A barge is typically a flat-bottomed boat, flat-bottomed vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. Original use was on inland waterways, while modern use is on both inland and ocean, marine water environments. The firs ...

s in Malmö. The following year, friends and family took up a collection and raised enough money for him to enroll at 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 ...

. Despite the assistance, after a time in

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

he found himself in financial difficulty. This was lessened somewhat when he was offered lodging with the family of Michael Anckarsvärd (1742-1838), a military officer who was also a part-time artist. To complete his studies, he earned some money by colorizing the illustrations of naval officer (1783-1848) for publication in ''Ett år i Sverige''. He also received support from

Johan Gustaf Sandberg Johan Gustaf Sandberg (13 May 1782 – 26 June 1854) was a Swedish painter. He was foremost a history painter and used settings from Norse mythology and Swedish history. His most widely known work in this area are his frescoes in Uppsala Cathedr ...

(1782–1854) which proved critical, as well as from the new Swedish Association for Art (''Sveriges allmänna konstförening'') which had been founded in 1832. During a cholera epidemic in 1834/35, he was able to stay at a farm in

Närke Närke () is a Swedish traditional province, or ''landskap'', situated in Svealand in south central Sweden. It is bordered by Västmanland to the north, Södermanland to the east, Östergötland to the southeast, Västergötland to the sou ...

owned by (1783-1874). In 1836, he developed some type of eye disease. Once again, members of the Anckarsvärd family came to his rescue and collected the funds necessary for him to visit the spa in Töplitz for a cure. After his recovery, he spent some time in

Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...

with the

scenic artist A charge scenic artist, also known as a charge artist or head scenic artist, leads and oversees the painting of stage, film, or television scenery. The duties of the charge artist involve techniques for replicating color and texture, as well as p ...

and decorator,

Karl Wilhelm Gropius Karl Wilhelm Gropius, also Carl Wilhelm Gropius (4 April 1793–20 February 1870), was a German set painter and scenic artist, working in the theatres of Berlin. He was also a printmaker and seller and a prolific caricaturist. Life Gropi ...

(1793–1870). Soon after, he went to

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 ...

where he shared a studio with the artist

Olof Johan Södermark Olof Johan Södermark (11 March 1790 – 15 October 1848) was a Swedish military officer, painter, graphic artist and sculptor. His son, Per Södermark, was also a well-known painter and lithographer. Biography He was born in Landskrona. In 18 ...

(1790-1848), until he was able to afford his own on the

Rue Saint-Honoré The Rue Saint-Honoré () is a street in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. It is named after the collegial , situated in ancient times within the cloisters of Saint-Honoré. The street, on which are located a number of museums and upscal ...

. He soon attracted a wealthy clientele and was able to obtain a larger studio on the Rue de la Bienfaisance in

. In 1838, he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

. The following year, he was named a member candidate (''agré'') at the

Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture Royal may refer to: People * Royal (name), a list of people with either the surname or given name * A member of a royal family or royalty Places United States * Royal, Arkansas, an unincorporated community * Royal, Illinois, a village * Royal, ...

(''Académie royale de peinture et de sculpture'') and received full membership in 1842, the same year he was awarded the

Royal Order of Vasa The Royal Order of Vasa () is a Swedish order of chivalry founded on 29 May 1772 by King Gustav III. It is awarded to Swedish citizens for service to state and society especially in the fields of agriculture, mining and commerce. History The or ...

in Sweden. He had been travelling around France and the Low Countries and in 1843 had a brief stay in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. During this time, he suffered from increasingly poor health and his eye disorder recurred every year, leaving him unable to paint. When he was diagnosed with

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB), also known colloquially as the "white death", or historically as consumption, is a contagious disease usually caused by ''Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can al ...

, he moved to

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one million Pyrenees The Pyrenees are a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. They extend nearly from their union with the Cantabrian Mountains to Cap de Creus on the Mediterranean coast, reaching a maximum elevation of at the peak of Aneto. ...

mountain resort of

Eaux-Bonnes Eaux-Bonnes (, "good waters"; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques Departments of France, department in south-western France. Description Eaux-Bonnes is close to the small town of Laruns. It is situated at a height ...

seeking a cure. It was to no avail and he died in nearby Pau in 1846, aged only thirty-four. 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 ...

Nordiska museet 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 ...

Uppsala University Library The Uppsala University Library () at Uppsala University in Uppsala, Sweden, consists of 11 subject libraries, one of which is housed in the old main library building, Carolina Rediviva. The library holds books and periodicals, manuscripts, music ...

Lund University Library Lund University Libraries is a network of public research libraries in Lund, Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway t ...

Lunds universitetsbibliotek
/ref> and the

Musée du Luxembourg The () is a museum at 19 in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. Established in 1750, it was initially an art museum located in the east wing of the Luxembourg Palace (the matching west wing housed the Marie de' Medici cycle by Peter Paul Rubens) an ...

, among many others.

Gallery

Per Gabriel Wickenberg - Segelfartyg och fiskare.jpg, ''Sailing Ships and Fishermen'' (1835) Per Gabriel Wickenberg - Vinterfiske.jpg, ''Winter Fishing'' (1839) Per Gabriel Wickenberg - Vinterlandskap med vandringsman och barn vid vägaltare.jpg, ''Winter Landscape with Man and Children at a Road Altar'' (1840) Per Gabriel Wickenberg - Landskap med vilande kossor.jpg, ''Landscape with Resting Cows'' (1835)

References

Other sources

* Kruse, John (1901
''Petter Gabriel Wickenberg, 1812-1846, ett konstnärsporträtt''
(Stockholm: Ivar Haeggström)

Biography

Gallery

References

Other sources

Further reading