Bruno Liljefors

The depicted swan is a Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus), which is characterized, among other things, by its yellow beak (the Mute Swan has a red beak). In the early 1900s, the Whooper Swan was close to extinction in Sweden due to intensive hunting and was then only found in a few remote locations in Lapland. Since then, its population has increased explosively, and from the 1950s onwards, it has also established itself in southern Sweden. Today, it breeds throughout Sweden. In the current study, Liljefors has focused on the swan's wing formations in flight. Liljefors has conducted another study of a flying Whooper Swan (auction, Stockholms Auktionsverk, Gothenburg, October 13, 2022, no. 2428283, canvas 22 x 37 cm). This had number 690 in the list of the artist's estate. Similar to the current study, it is also titled "Flying Swan," by the artist on a pink label on the back.