Carl Johansson - Vangforsen, Ramsele, 1915
Regular price €3.200Carl Johansson (1863-1944) Sweden
Vangforsen, Ramsele, 1915
oil on canvas
signed and dated Carl Johansson 15
unframed: 50 x 65.5 cm (19 5/8 x 25 3/4 in)
framed: 68 x 83 cm (26 3/4 x 32 5/8 in)
Essay:
Painted in 1915 by Carl August Johansson, Vangforsen, Ramsele captures the serene beauty of northern Sweden's landscape at a time when it was still untouched by modern hydroelectric development. The scene depicts Vangforsen, a stretch of whitewater rapids in the Faxälven river near Ramsele in Västernorrland, a region rich in sweeping views and natural drama. Today, much of the original flow of the river has been altered by hydroelectric expansion, but in Johansson’s time, the landscape was wild and unspoiled.
Postcard from Vangforsen (Wagnforsen), from the early 1900s
Rendered in vivid, luminous color, the composition radiates clarity and light. Johansson uses short, delicate brushstrokes to build a highly atmospheric yet structured scene. A tall pine tree dominates the foreground, anchoring the viewer’s gaze before it moves into the gentle movement of the river and lush, rolling hills beyond. The brushwork is impressionistic, yet highly controlled — a hallmark of Johansson’s mature style.
Carl Johansson (1863–1944), born in Härnösand, was known as “Norrland’s painter” for his devotion to the landscapes of northern Sweden. His artistic sensibility was shaped early by studies at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts and by contact with leading figures in French Impressionism during his travels in the 1890s and early 1900s. Influenced by artists such as Monet and Pissarro, he gradually adopted a lighter palette and a more expressive touch, though always grounded in firm drawing and technique.
Johansson had a lifelong fascination with light and atmospheric effects. Notably, all of his paintings were composed with the sun positioned at precisely 30 degrees north-northwest. In his later years, he was known for the increasingly bluish tones in his work, earning him the affectionate nickname “Ultramarin-Johansson.”
As a technically meticulous painter with a deep connection to the northern landscape, Johansson left behind a legacy of work that bridges romantic naturalism and impressionist modernity.
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