Eric Hallström

Sven Paddock

Eric Hallström counts as one of the leading representatives for the Swedish naivism. He had his debut in 1917. Through his painting he communicates his memories from the outskirts of Stockholm, a motif he worked with for a long time. Hallström came into contact with Ångermanland through Pelle Molin's "Ådalens poesi", and shortly after he travelled there to experience the dark forests, the undulating horizon, powerful rivers and log floating, which later took shape in his Stockholm studio. His compositions become lighter when he traveled to South Africa and Italy in the 1920s, approaching a new objectivity, causing the naive elements to disappear. Hallström's storytelling talent is revived in the 1930s when he, using strong colors in a primitive style, expresses his experiences of people and landscapes.