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Richard Bergh prints bring the quiet, dreamy light of Swedish painting at the turn of the twentieth century into your home. Bergh was a painter, critic and museum director who gave Sweden the term "mood painting", and his Nordic Summer Evening is one of the best-loved Swedish pictures of its age. Our collection of fine art prints includes his portraits, Varberg and Tyresö landscapes, studies for The Knight and the Maiden and his group portraits of fellow artists.

About Richard Bergh

Sven Richard Bergh was born in Stockholm on 28 December 1858. Both his parents were artists and probably his first teachers. He studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts from 1878 to 1881, then went to Paris, where he took lessons from Jean-Paul Laurens at the Académie Colarossi and first showed at the Salon in 1883.

In 1885 he and his friend Ernst Josephson joined the Nordic artists' colony at Grez-sur-Loing. The same year he joined the Opponents, Swedish artists protesting against the Academy's old teaching methods, and became secretary of their new Artists' Association. He married Helena Klemming in 1886; after her early death he married Gerda Winkrans in 1890.

In 1893 the family moved to Varberg on the west coast, where Bergh, Nils Kreuger and Karl Nordström developed a new style of landscape painting known as the Varberg School. In 1904 he settled at Storängen near Stockholm, and from 1915 until his death he was director of the Nationalmuseum, modernising its collecting. He died on 29 January 1919.

Style and Subjects

Bergh admired the naturalism of Jules Bastien-Lepage and never took to Impressionism or painting outdoors. In an essay of 1896 he called for stämningsmåleri, "mood painting", that moves beyond realism to express feeling.

His portraits are direct and thoughtful, often of fellow artists. His landscapes and figure pieces from the 1890s are quieter and more poetic, with long northern twilights, still water and soft blues and greens. Romantic nationalism, and a stay in Italy in 1897 and 1898, shaped his later work.

Famous Works

• The Artist Julia Beck (1882), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. A portrait of a fellow Swedish painter from his Paris years.
• Hypnotic Séance (1887), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. A scene of hypnosis from the years he became interested in séances.
• The Artist Eva Bonnier (1889), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. A portrait of his fellow Swedish painter.
• Vision. Scene from Visby (1894), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. A dreamlike scene set in the medieval town of Visby.
• The Knight and the Maiden (1897), Thiel Gallery, Stockholm. A romantic legend set in a flowering meadow; the store also has several of his studies.
• Nordic Summer Evening (1899), Gothenburg Museum of Art. His best-known painting, full of the soft light of a northern summer night.
• The Council of the Society of Artists (1903), Nationalmuseum, Stockholm. A group portrait of the leaders of the Artists' Association.

Decorating with Bergh Prints

Bergh's landscapes and summer scenes suit calm Scandinavian interiors: white or pale grey walls, natural wood and linen. Nordic Summer Evening or Landscape from Halland works well in a bedroom, living room or summer house.

His portraits fit a study, hallway or library and look good in simple dark frames. The meadow studies for The Knight and the Maiden, full of dandelions and grass, make a fresh, light group for a kitchen or garden room.

FAQ

What is Richard Bergh's most famous painting?

Nordic Summer Evening, painted in 1899 and now in the Gothenburg Museum of Art, is his best-known work.

What art movement was Richard Bergh part of?

Bergh began as a naturalist and became a leader of Swedish "mood painting" in the 1890s, a term he coined in an 1896 essay. He was also part of the Varberg School of landscape painting.

Who were the Opponents?

The Opponents were Swedish artists who protested in 1885 against the teaching at the Royal Academy. They formed the Artists' Association, and Bergh served as its secretary.

Where can I see Richard Bergh's paintings?

His work is in the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, the Thiel Gallery, the Malmö Art Museum and Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde.

Was Richard Bergh a museum director?

Yes. From 1915 until his death in 1919 he was director of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, where he modernised its purchasing.

Related Artists

• Ernst Josephson: his friend, with whom he joined the Grez-sur-Loing colony
• Nils Kreuger: fellow founder of the Varberg School
• Karl Nordström: fellow founder of the Varberg School
• Eugène Jansson: Swedish painter shown in his group portrait of the Artists' Association
• Jules Bastien-Lepage: French naturalist whose work he admired