Goshawk and grouse
Signed Bruno Liljefors and dated 85. Canvas 30 x 41 cm.
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The bird of prey in rapid and decisive attack was one of the scenes that fascinated Bruno Liljefors from an early age. The dramatic events in nature grabbed him, for reasons that were ultimately very personal. A worship of the explosive power, but also the realization of the vulnerability in a world full of dangers, are early elements in his psychology. Outdoor pursuits sharpened his powers of observation, which were combined with the urge to be constantly 'en garde'. The experience of bullying in early boyhood never left him. He must have studied the hunting habits of the sparrowhawk at close quarters. With an intense gaze, the bird of prey has just completed the first phase of the attack and is holding the pheasant's head with its beak open in a cry of death. The plumage is drawn with unerring precision. In later paintings, the sharpness of detail would give way to a more summary way of depicting the movements of the encounter between prey and predator. The picture is also a piece of virtuoso light painting in which Liljefors records his impressions of the new ideas he had picked up remarkably quickly on the continent. Notice the contrast between the beautiful, lush shrubbery and the ongoing death struggle. Here, as in other paintings, the painter shows a totally disillusioned view of the struggle for existence, in line with his Darwinian beliefs.
More about Bruno Liljefors
Bruno Liljefors is the Swedish artist best known for his nature and animal motifs, especially in dramatic situations. Liljefors started with studies at the Academy of Arts in 1879, and continued 1882 in Düsseldorf where the studies revolved around animal painting. The journey then continued to Venice, Rome, Naples, Paris and Grez. Once back in Sweden, he began to draw and paint animals, especially cats and small birds, from the beginning in intimate interaction with nature. He then moved on to broader depictions of wild animals and nature, of seascapes with seabirds and of dramatic scenes of battles between birds. Liljefors is known as our country's foremost animal painter with a large production. Liljefors depicted, in contrast to the "idyllic" animal painting, the animals everyday life with a focus on movement, anatomy and their adaptation to the landscape. This is where the greatness of his painting lies, in the ability to show the animals in their proper environment. He has achieved this by hunting and observing. Well-known works of art are the paintings "Rävfamilj" (1886) and "Havsörnar" (1897), as well as the sculpture "Lek" (1930) at Stockholm Stadium. Liljefors is mainly represented at the National Museum, Waldemarsudde and the Thielska gallery in Stockholm.
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