When it comes to Nils von Dardel’s production, the year 1918 is virtually a mythical one. In this year several of his most significant works were created, and their stylistic versatility shows the zeal with which he tackled subjects that aroused powerful emotions as he spread his artistic wings.
Following his return from Japan, Dardel attempted to work in the Futurist style, with its Simultanism and love of machinery reflected in the work “Transsibiriska järnvägen” (The Trans-Siberian Railway) (1918). This became something of a one-off as he never returned to the form again.
**A theme he returned to over and over again is his dandy figures. These can be seen in “Den döende dandyn” (The Dying Dandy) (1918) and in “Dam i gröna pyjamas mördande herre i svarta” (Lady in Green Pyjamas Murdering a Gentleman in Black) (the original watercolour was painted in 1918 while the painting “Crime Passionel” was completed in 1921). The dandy became a recurring motif throughout Dardel’s art. There are differing interpretations of this figure in his work, but in Dardel’s day the dandy represented an opposition to the status quo and the pursuit of the ideals of a new era. For Dardel in particular, coming from a noble and bourgeois background, the dandy, with his worship of beauty and passion, was a stark contrast to the self-control and restraint that prevailed in society.
Inspiration from Japan
But what was it that made 1918 such a significant year for Dardel, filled with important works? One must go back to New Year’s Day in 1917 for the answer. On that day, the young artist embarked on a trip around the world with his good friend Rolf de Maré, starting in North America where they visited New York, Key West, Cuba and the New Orleans carnival.
The plan was for the two of them to return to Europe but due to America breaking off diplomatic relations with Germany, they were unable to cross the Atlantic.
**Instead, the young men travelled west and on the 19th of March they left San Francisco, arriving in Yokohama on 7 April. In Japan they paid a visit to the Swedish minister Gustaf Wallenberg, where Nils von Dardel met Wallenberg’s daughter Nita. Here began a tempestuous love story, culminating in a secret engagement, many trials and tribulations and heartbreak.
“Nybroplan” can be seen as the calm before the storm in Dardel’s life and in his work.”
Rolf de Maré did not stay for long in Japan and made his way home via Russia, however Nils stayed to learn more about Japanese art. Nita’s mother asked Nils, as the only man present, to accompany them on a tourist trip to Hokkaido.
Many sketches from this trip have been preserved and Dardel seems to have flourished in the company of the two women, enjoying his role as a Bohemian nobleman in the guise of an artist. He took lessons in Japanese painting and the use of special brushes and silk-painting techniques were still seen in his art years later.
**In 1917, as World War I raged on, Nils accompanied the mother and daughter home to Sweden via the Trans-Siberian railway. Once back in Sweden, his and Nita’s engagement remained secret. The only other person aware of it was Nita’s mother, who thought the relationship between the young artist and her daughter was a fantastic adventure
This view was not shared by Gustaf Wallenberg, however, who broke off the engagement on when he returned to Sweden in the spring of 1919.
After his return from Japan, Dardel developed his own menagerie (or bestiary, as Erik Näslund calls it) of animals that recurred in his work in the 1920s.
The cat in “Nybroplan” lacks the disconcerting edginess that the menagerie often brings and here we simply encounter a calmly sleeping cat.
Asplund considers that the vase on the right might be “the embryo of the eccentric lady” (Asplund 2006) but this is before the engagement was broken off and before Dardel’s bizarre subjects and eccentric fantasies appeared in his work.
“Nybroplan” can be seen as the calm before the storm in Dardel’s life and in his work.
The work will be sold at the Modern Art + Design auction on May 17th – 18th.
Viewing May 12th – 16th, Berzelii Park 1, Stockholm.
Auction Live May 17th – 18th, Arsenalsgatan 2, Stockholm.
