The Town (Strindberg)

The Town
ArtistAugust Strindberg
Year1903 (1903)
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensions94.5 cm × 53 cm (37.2 in × 21 in)
LocationNationalmuseum, Stockholm

The Town is a 1903 oil painting by August Strindberg. It is shown at the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.

Strindberg as a painter

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August Strindberg had no training in art. He painted only in periods, mainly landscapes and seascapes with dramatic waves and skies.[1] He painted choppy sea in the storm with seething waves, clouds of rebellion and burnings that whips against the rocky shores. His painting method remained personally improvised.[2]

He painted mostly in periods of crisis, when he had difficulty writing. He did not have a breakthrough as a painter until long after his death.[3] He has come to be regarded as a pioneer of expressionism as an art form in Sweden. In the 1870s he spent time with several young artists such as Carl Larsson and others in Grez-sur-Loing then himself began attempts in painting. He also worked as an art critic.

Painting

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The Town is an oil painting made with a palette knife, with thick layers of paint laid on the canvas. It is a landscape painting, with a town in the distance, its tallest building reflected in the water's surface. The painting is dominated by the dark colors of the high sky and clouds, with a color scheme in white, black and gray, with the brightly lit town's trees depicted in green.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "The Town". www.europeana.eu. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  2. ^ "Staden - Nationalmuseum". www.nationalmuseum.se. Archived from the original on 2016-08-05. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
  3. ^ Vad hade de på paletten?: Bruno Liljefors (1860-1939), Georg von Rosen (1843-1923), prins Eugen (1865-1947) och August Strindberg (1849-1912).