1. Bruno Lijefors, Brise du matin, 1901. Huile sur toile, 128 x 276 cm, The Thiel Gallery, Stockholm. © Courtesy Thielska Galleriet, Stockholm / Photo : Tord Lund
Rediscovering Bruno Liljefors: painter of Sweden's wild soul
Art and ecology have often converged to create powerful messages about humanity's place within the natural world. In an age increasingly marked by environmental crises, the work of Swedish artist Bruno Liljefors (1860–1939) feels remarkably prescient.
The exhibition "Bruno Liljefors: La Suède Sauvage", hosted at the Petit Palais in collaboration with the Nationalmuseum of Stockholm, offers a rare opportunity to delve into the life and art of this pioneering painter.
Known as the "prince of animal painters," Liljefors merged artistic innovation with meticulous scientific observation to create immersive representations of the Swedish wilderness.
Despite his prominence in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, particularly in Paris, Liljefors has largely faded from the French cultural memory. His works, which reveal animals as integral parts of their ecosystems, hold a mirror to our modern challenges: biodiversity loss, ecological fragility, and the cultural imperative to preserve nature. This exhibition is not merely a retrospective; it is a reawakening to the lessons embedded in his art.
Thus, how does Bruno Liljefors’s art bridge the gap between scientific naturalism, artistic modernity, and a growing cultural awareness of ecological interdependence? In what ways can his vision inspire contemporary dialogues about the environment?
Early life, the roots of his artistic vision
2. Anders Zorn, Le Peintre Bruno Liljefors, 1906, Huile sur toile, 125 x 96 cm, Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, © Stockholm. Nationalmuseum. Photo: Viktor Fordell.
Born in Uppsala, Sweden, Liljefors was immersed in nature from a young age. His father’s work in the munitions trade exposed him to the culture of hunting, and as a child, he honed his skills in tracking and observing wildlife.
These formative experiences shaped his later approach to painting. As Liljefors noted in his autobiographical writings, even a small tuft of moss or the plumage of a bird carried the essence of the wilderness, a revelation that informed his artistic ethos.
Liljefors began formal art training at the Stockholm Academy of Fine Arts but found its rigid focus on human anatomy ill-suited to his interests. His passion lay in the non-human, particularly in capturing the interconnectedness of flora and fauna.
Disillusioned with traditional methods, he left Stockholm in 1882 to study under Carl Friedrich Deiker, a prominent animal painter in Düsseldorf, Germany. It was here that he developed his hallmark technique of depicting animals in motion, informed by keen observation rather than idealized poses.
3. Bruno Liljefors, Renards, 1886, Huile sur toile, 71,5 x 91,8 cm, Gothenburg Museum of Art, Gothenburg. © Gothenburg Museum of Arts.
A naturalist among modernists
Liljefors’s time at Grez-sur-Loing, a haven for Scandinavian artists in France, proved pivotal. Inspired by the plein-air practices of the Barbizon School and the naturalist approach championed by Jules Bastien-Lepage, he adopted a method of painting directly from nature.
Unlike many of his contemporaries who focused on human life, Liljefors sought to elevate the seemingly mundane rhythms of wildlife. His early works, such as "Autour des palombes et tétras-lyres" (1884), showcase his ability to render dramatic moments in nature with both scientific precision and emotional intensity.
The influence of Japonisme further refined his aesthetic. Liljefors embraced the asymmetry and focus on negative space characteristic of Japanese prints, integrating these elements into his depictions of birds, reeds, and forest clearings. This stylistic synthesis marked a departure from traditional European wildlife art, making his works both modern and timeless.
The art of ecology: animals in their habitat
Liljefors's approach to painting represented a revolutionary shift in wildlife art. He rejected the anthropocentric portrayal of animals as isolated subjects, choosing instead to embed them within the ecosystems they inhabited.
Works like "Hibou grand-duc au cœur de la forêt" and "Parade du grand tétras" exemplify this perspective. Here, the animals are not mere objects of beauty but active participants in the natural order, engaged in hunting, mating, or survival.
Liljefors’s fascination with camouflage, a survival mechanism in the animal kingdom paralleled his own exploration of artistic concealment and revelation. In paintings like "Lièvre dans la neige", the boundaries between subject and background blur, echoing the seamless integration of animals within their environments. This ecological vision was informed by Darwinian theory, which emphasized the interconnectedness of all life forms.
National identity and the romantic sublime
Liljefors’s art is deeply rooted in the Romantic nationalism of late 19th-century Sweden. As industrialization transformed the European landscape, artists like Liljefors turned to the wilderness as a repository of cultural identity. His paintings celebrate Sweden’s vast forests, shimmering archipelagos, and untamed wildlife as symbols of a nation unspoiled by modernity.
In works like "Cygnes dans les roseaux", the stillness of the scene is imbued with a sense of timelessness. The artist’s ability to capture the play of light and water reflects not only his technical mastery but also his reverence for the natural world. By situating his work within the broader context of Swedish Romanticism, the exhibition at the Petit Palais highlights how Liljefors contributed to shaping his country’s cultural imagination.
Bruno Liljefors’s art offers a profound meditation on the relationship between humanity and nature. By rendering the wilderness with both scientific rigor and poetic sensitivity, he bridges the divide between art and ecology, past and present. His work challenges viewers to see the natural world not as a backdrop to human activity but as a dynamic, interconnected system of which we are a part.
As the Petit Palais exhibition so powerfully demonstrates, rediscovering Liljefors is more than an art historical exercise; it is a call to action. In his celebration of Sweden’s "wild soul" we find a model for how art can inspire, deepen understanding, and foster a commitment to preserving the fragile beauty of our planet.
Informations about the exhibition
Place: Petit Palais
Date: 01.10.2024 – 16.02.2025
Curators: Annick Lemoine and Anne-Charlotte Cathelineau
Ticket: Available at the front desk of the museum and online
Informations about the Petit Palais
Petit Palais
Avenue Winston Churchill, 75008 Paris
75 008 Paris
Phone: +33 (0)1 53 43 40 00