Nordic Light: An Arts Society Guernsey Lecture

Nordic Light: Swedish Fin de Siècle Painting
Lecturer: Stella Lyons

When we think about Nordic art, we often recall the angst-ridden works of Edvard Munch. Rarely do we think of Swedish artists. That’s because Scandinavian art is still an overlooked and under-appreciated area of Art History.
And yet Swedish artists painted some of the most breath-taking images of the 19th Century; paintings of glorious summer twilight, light-filled interiors adorned with cornflowers, images of Stockholm sparkling under star-studded skies.
Nature was key to their paintings. As was an appreciation of Swedish history, legends and folk tales – these were artists attempting to capture a national identity on the canvas.

Come and explore the painterly works of Anders Zorn, who, after success in Paris and London, returned to his home of Dalarna to paint the rich Swedish folk tradition. Uncover the joyful interiors of Carl Larsson and his wife and collaborator Karin Bergöö.

Delve into the glistening snowy landscapes of Gustaf Fjæstad and the detailed wildlife paintings of Bruno Liljefors. Discover the Swedish gems that were produced during the final years of the 19th Century and early years of the 20th Century.

Stella Lyons is a freelance Art History lecturer, speaker and writer. She has lectured across the UK, Ireland, Spain, Norway, Germany, Belgium, the Netherlands, Italy and Malaysia. Stella gained her BA in the History of Art from the University of Bristol and her MA in History of Art from the University of Warwick. She spent a year studying Renaissance art in Italy at the British Institute of Florence and three months studying Venetian art in Venice. In addition, she attended drawing classes at the prestigious Charles H. Cecil studios in Florence, a private atelier that follows a curriculum based on the leading ateliers of nineteenth-century Paris. She has written about art for several publications, including The Arts Society Magazine.