Gunnar Berndtson

Gunnar Fredrik Berndtson (24 October 1854, Helsinki – 9 April 1895, Helsinki) was a painter from the Grand Duchy of Finland who was noted for his attention to realistic detail.[1][2]

Gunnar Berndtson
Portrait photograph, 1880s
Born
Gunnar Fredrik Berndtson

(1854-10-24)24 October 1854
Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
Died9 April 1895(1895-04-09) (aged 40)
Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
NationalityFinnish
Known forPainting

Biography

His father was Fredrik Berndtson, a well-known author, journalist and poet.[3] He began his higher studies at the Polytechnic Institute (now the Helsinki University of Technology). Since 1869, however, he had been associating with members of the Academy of Fine Arts and was auditing art classes at the University of Helsinki taught by Erik Johan Löfgren and others.[1]

By 1876, he had made the decision to be an artist, so he went to Paris, where he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts and studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme.[3] He remained there until 1882. During his stay, he became part of a group centered around Albert Edelfelt and was influenced by the Salon style of painting. His first exhibit at the Salon came in 1878.[1]

From 1882 to 1883, he visited Egypt[3] as the guest of Alphonse, Baron Delort de Gléon (1843-1899), a mining engineer. He settled in the French community there, painting portraits and providing illustrations, as a correspondent, for Le Monde illustré.[1] Three years after his return to Finland, he got married. In 1889, he received the State Prize for portrait painting.

He frequently returned to Paris to exhibit at the Salon, where he had always had his greatest successes. From 1890 to 1892, he was a teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts, where Magnus Enckell was among his best-known students. Others included Ellen Thesleff[4] and Beda Stjernschantz.[5]

Berndtson died in 1895 of a "degenerative ailment"; possibly syphilis. He is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.[6]

Works
  • Music in the Studio, 1878
    Music in the Studio, 1878
  • Chess Players, 1878
    Chess Players, 1878
  • Yes - No, Pause in the Studio, 1879
    Yes - No, Pause in the Studio, 1879
  • Art Connoisseurs in the Louvre, 1879
    Art Connoisseurs in the Louvre, 1879
  • The Bride's Song, 1881
    The Bride's Song, 1881
  • Laskiaistiistai, 1882
    Laskiaistiistai, 1882
  • Woman with a Bird at the Castle of Maison Laffitte, 1882
    Woman with a Bird at the Castle of Maison Laffitte, 1882
  • Almée, an Egyptian Dancer, 1883
    Almée, an Egyptian Dancer, 1883
  • Self-portrait in a 17th century outfit, 1884
    Self-portrait in a 17th century outfit, 1884
  • A Rest on the Way to the Fair, 1886
    A Rest on the Way to the Fair, 1886
  • Portrait of Dentistry Professor Matti Äyräpää [fi], 1889
    Portrait of Dentistry Professor Matti Äyräpää, 1889
  • The Mirror, 1889
    The Mirror, 1889
  • His Name, 1890
    His Name, 1890
  • Garden Idyll, unknown date
    Garden Idyll, unknown date
  • Ski Patrol, 1891
    Ski Patrol, 1891
  • Salmon Fishers at the Langinkoski Rapid, 1892
    Salmon Fishers at the Langinkoski Rapid, 1892
  • Summer, 1893
    Summer, 1893
  • Kulosaari Strait, 1895
    Kulosaari Strait, 1895

See also

References
  1. Arell, Berndt (17 February 2003). "Berndtson, Gunnar (1854 - 1895)". Kansallisbiografia. Translated by Ulpu Marjomaa. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  2. "Gunnar Berndtson". Artist Registry. Artists' Association of Finland. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
  3. Biographical notes @ Projekt Runeberg, "Nordisk familjebok".
  4. "Ellen Thesleff". Ateneum. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
  5. "Artist Register - Beda Stjernschantz". Kuvataiteilijamatrikkeli.fi (in Finnish). Artists' Association of Finland. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
  6. "Hietaniemen hautausmaa – merkittäviä vainajia" (PDF). Helsingin seurakuntayhtymä. Retrieved 27 August 2016.

Further reading
  • Berndt Arell, Christian Hoffman: Gunnar Berndtson, Salonkimaalari, Turun Taidemuseo, Pohjoinen, 1998 ISBN 951-749-316-9
  • Maria Vainio-Kurtakko, Idyll eller verklighet?: Albert Edelfelt och Gunnar Berndtson i det moderna genombrottets ambivalens (Idyll or Reality?) Finska fornminnesförening, 2010 ISBN 951-90577-6-5
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