Gösta Sandels
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"På bron - Motiv från Kungälv".
Signed and dated Sandels 1916. Canvas 98 x 106 cm.
Provenance
Conrad M. Pineus collection, Gothenburg, (acquired directly from the artist).
Bukowski Auktioner, auction 604, Modern Art and Design, 21 November 2017, lot 241.
Exhibitions
Liljevalchs konsthall, Stockholm, Konstnärsförbundets utställning, 1916, catalogue 2, no 491.
Den frie Udstilling, Köpenhamn, Moderne svensk Kunst, 1916, cat. no. 327.
Göteborgs Museum, Minnesutställning, 1920, cat.no. 86.
Kunstnerforbundet, Kristiania, Minnesutställning, 1920, cat. no. 65.
Nordisk konst, Göteborg, Jubileumsutställningen, 1923, cat. no 220.
Konsthallen, Göteborg, Conrad M. Pineus samling, 1925.
Ausstellung Schwedischer Kunst, Hamburg, 1926, cat. no. 499.
Konstakademien, Stockholm, Minnesutställning, 1932, cat. no. 78.
Konsthallen, Göteborg, Västsvenskt landskap, 1933, cat.no. 84.
Svenska paviljongens konstutställning, Paris, Exposition international de Paris, 1937, cat.no. 36.
Liljevalchs konsthall, Stockholm, Samlarnas utställning, 1937, cat.no. 471.
Liljevalchs konsthall, Stockholm, Skimrande västkust, 1986-87, cat.no. 253.
Göteborgs konstmuseum, "Gösta Sandels", 2000, cat.no. 2
Literature
Johnny Roosval, "Mikrokosmos och muralmåleri (Saisonen I)", 1916, p. 83, illustrated p. 82.
Jens Thiis resonerande katalog, "Gösta Sandels - en minnesbok", 1920, no 69 i, p. 60, illustrated in black and white.
Erik Blomberg, "Strömningar i svenskt 1900-tals måleri", 1924, p. 420, illustrated p. 421.
Axel L. Romdahl, "Det moderna måleriet och dess förutsättningar en orientering", 1926.
Birger Simonsson, "Gösta Sandels, The American-Scandinavian Review XX", 1932, p. 266.
Axel L. Romdahl, "Gösta Sandels", 1932, s. 434-435, illustrated p. 436.
I Rydbeck, "En konstsamling i Göteborg", Konstrevy X, 1934, p. 136.
Gertrud Serner, "Gösta Sandels, serien svenska målare", 1941, mentioned p.56, 63, 65 and illustrated p. 67.
Bengt Lagerkvist, "Riddar Drömmare av sol och snö - En bok om Gösta Sandels", 1999, mentioned p. 90 and illustrated p. 91.
More information
"A young genius shines with brilliance in his image in Swedish art history". These words have been written about Gösta Sandels, who passed away far too young from typhus at the age of only 32. During his short period of activity, Sandels painted in a romantic style with an unusual sensitivity for the time, inspired by, among others, Vincent Van Gogh, Edvard Munch, and Eugène Delacroix.
In 1909, Sandels participated in the exhibition "De Unga," also known as "the Men of 1909," at Hallins art gallery in Stockholm. The exhibition is considered the breakthrough of modernism in Sweden.
In the spring and early summer of 1913, Sandels spent time in Provence with a few fellow artists. The journey took them to Arles and later to Saint Chamas. There, Sandels developed his technique and his way of composing. With a colour palette consisting of the primary colours of burgundy, emerald green, sea blue, black, ochre yellow, and grey-violet, he varied his painting.
After spending the summer of 1913 in Fiskebäckskil, Sandels moved to Gothenburg and later to Kungälv. The town became a recurring motif for the artist, and it was in Kungälv that he was most productive. The current catalogue entry "On the Bridge" was painted in Kungälv and represents the largest and most important painting from this period. The motif consists of three women standing on the bridge over the river. They wear dark clothing, and in the background, the landscape unfolds. The thoughtful composition is built upon a rhythmic interplay of lines with influences drawn from Munch's painting.
The painting in question was purchased by the important art collector Conrad M. Pineus in the spring of 1917. During his time in Gothenburg and Kungälv, Sandels had Pineus as a great support, with regular visits and dinners at the family home. Pineus became his foremost patron and purchased a large number of paintings from the artist, which were placed in a special room in the home Villa Darjeeling in Gothenburg.