Fritz Lindström - French Landscape, c.1899

Fritz Lindström (1874-1962) Sweden

French Landscape, c.1899

canvas dimensions 34 x 43 cm
with frame 44 x 53 cm
signed back on the canvas stretcher 
hand-made frame by Christer Björkman

Provenance: 
A private collection Värmland. 

Fritz Lindström was a prominent Swedish artist who was a member of the Rackstad group. Lindström began his career as an apprentice in decorative painting under Carl Grabow, where he first met Björn Ahlgrensson. He later attended the Konstnärsförbundets school in Stockholm under Richard Bergh from 1892 to 1896. Lindström also studied at the Valand Art School in Gothenburg under Carl Larsson from 1894 to 1895, and later spent time studying in Copenhagen and Paris from 1897 to 1899.

One of Lindström's early stunning paintings is our painting "French Landscape, c. 1899”. This beautiful painting captures a stunning sunrise, with a field reflecting in shades of blue, purple, and brown. A hill with trees rises up behind the field, and the sun rises behind the hill, casting a warm golden light over the entire scene. The sky is a riot of colours, from oranges and purple to bright yellows and pinks, creating a sense of energy and vitality that is truly breathtaking.

In 1900, Lindström returned to Sweden from France and was drawn to Värmland by his friend and brother-in-law Björn Ahlgrensson. In 1903, Lindström became a member of the Rackstad group, also known as the Racken group or Rackstad colony. Like many artists of his time, Lindström was inspired by the idea of the countryside as an ideal setting for artistic and spiritual work, and he remained loyal to this dream for over fifty years while living and working at Lake Racken.

Throughout his artistic career, Lindström was particularly interested in the difficult art of human studies. Although he struggled financially and initially had difficulty selling his paintings, his portraits quickly gained recognition for their finely composed structures and intimate character studies. As his reputation grew, Lindström's landscapes became increasingly popular, especially after a chance encounter with the chief of the National Museum, who was visiting Arvika to inaugurate an exhibition and was struck by Lindström's paintings.

This painting is a perfect example of Lindström's mastery of colour and composition, as well as his ability to capture the essence of a moment and convey its emotional impact in vivid detail. It is a work of art that truly deserves to be treasured and appreciated for generations to come.