The Opponents and the 1890s

Swedish artists came home from France, rebelled against the Academy and painted the Swedish light.

In the 1870s and 80s many Swedes studied in Paris and painted in the artists’ colony at Grez-sur-Loing. There they learned plein-air painting and realism. Carl Larsson, Karl Nordström and Richard Bergh were among them.

In 1885, 84 artists signed a petition against the power of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts – they became known as the Opponents. The following year the Artists’ Association (Konstnärsförbundet) was founded. Ernst Josephson was one of the leaders, but his The Water Sprite was rejected by the Nationalmuseum.

In the 1890s they turned towards Sweden: the Varberg School painted the coast of Halland, Zorn Dalarna, Liljefors wildlife, and Prince Eugen and Eugène Jansson atmospheric landscapes and city views. The Swedish light, the summer night and the home became national symbols. Meanwhile, Hilma af Klint quietly began to paint abstractly.