Hunting dogs
Signed Bruno Liljefors and dated -94. Oil on canvas 94 x 180 cm.
Provenance
Sea Captain Christer Ericsson (1942 - 2016), Österbodarne Estate, Alingsås, Sweden.
More information
Bruno Liljefors admired the hound for its completeness and believed that, unlike setters and pointers, it had something primitive about it that suited the realm of the wild. From a young age, he had become a passionate hunter and spent much time either hunting or simply wandering in the Uppland countryside, where he settled in the late 1880s. In "The Realm of the Wild," Bruno Liljefors describes how the hound operates when out hunting for foxes: "The hound searches the terrain in wide circles ahead of its master. It crosses a clearing, a small meadow in the forest. The grass is just moist enough. It senses where a hare has passed and soon after how a fox track comes into play. It investigates and finds that the hare has been taken by the fox and dragged away. It lifts its head and scents the faint wind from the mountain, which informs it that the fox is up there with its hare. For the dog, it is as simple and natural as reading a book." Bruno Liljefors scrutinised nature carefully and often alternated with visits to the Veterinary Institute, where he could study the anatomy of animals, such as a mounted fox, a fox skeleton, or, ideally, a living fox.
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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