Bruno Liljefors

The appreciation of Bruno Liljefors' innovative animal paintings extended beyond the borders of Sweden. His work is characterized by a clear interest in dramatic situations, the struggle for existence that Darwin brought to life.

In 1882 he completed his academic studies in Sweden and traveled across Denmark to Düsseldorf, where he visited the animal painter C.F. Deiker. On his way back home he visited the artists' colony in Grez-sur-Loing. Like the majority of his generation in Grez, Liljefors shared the ideas of the opposition movement that would lead to the formation of the Artists' Association in 1886. Between 1888-89 he taught at the Valand Art School in Gothenburg.

In this 1914 painting, Bruno Liljefors lets nature interact with the grouse to create a dynamic and exciting composition. He also enhances the depth of the image by adding the flying grouse placed further back in the picture space.