NILS KREUGER - COWS GRAZE IN A MEADOW, 1907

NILS KREUGER (1858-1930) SWEDEN

COWS GRAZE IN A MEADOW, 1907

pencil, paper
paper 9 x 14 cm
frame 18 x 23.5 cm

Provenance: 
The artist;
Gifted to the artist's sister, Elisabeth Gustafva Kreuger;
Passed down to her daughter, Rut Elin Moren Lindell;
Inherited by her son, Bo Lindell (1831-2012);
Subsequently passed to his son, Ulf Lindell (born 1956).

Essay:
This drawing by Nils Kreuger, a Swedish artist born on October 11, 1858, in Kalmar, and who passed away on May 11, 1930, in Stockholm, showcases a quintessential theme found in his work. The sketch depicts several cows grazing in a field, captured swiftly and with a confident hand, embodying the essence of Kreuger's artistic pursuits. The landscape, drawn in 1907 as indicated, is indicative of Kreuger's fascination with the Swedish countryside, a theme recurrent in his oeuvre post his return from France in the late 19th century.

Nils Kreuger, a pivotal figure in Swedish art, was deeply influenced by his studies in Paris and his interactions with artists at the Grez-sur-Loing artist colony. His early works in France were influenced by the plein-air painting of the French countryside, characterized by a sensitive use of color and light to capture various times of day and weather conditions. Upon his return to Sweden, Kreuger became a founding member of the Varberg School, alongside Richard Bergh and Karl Nordström, transitioning to a style that emphasized the symbolic and national-romantic over the purely observational. This period saw him focusing on landscapes, often featuring grazing livestock, with a stylistic shift influenced by the likes of Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh. Van Gogh's influence is particularly noted in Kreuger's adoption of a unique technique involving dots and small lines, which articulated the terrain and enriched the emotional content of his work.

In later years, Kreuger’s technique evolved further, replacing ink lines with color patches applied with vigorous brushstrokes, contributing to a mosaic-like surface in his paintings. Despite the influence of van Gogh, Kreuger’s work seldom sought the same intensity of expression, instead finding a unique voice through the formal and decorative qualities of his lines and colors.

Kreuger’s contributions to Swedish art are significant, with his work displayed in prestigious museums such as the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Thielska Galleriet, and internationally.