John Bauer

In 1912, the artist John Bauer stood at the peak of his career, with his works exhibited both domestically and soon abroad. During this period, he created one of his most significant works, “Sagoflickan” (Fairy Girl), a painting on canvas in an unusually monumental format for Bauer, measuring 136 x 140 cm. The inspiration for the girl, seated on a moss-covered rock combing her long hair, came from his beloved wife, Ester, as well as from depictions of the Virgin Mary in the Italian Renaissance. “Sagoflickan” was showcased in several prominent exhibitions, both in Sweden and internationally, including at Konstnärshuset, Stockholm, in 1913; the Panama-Pacific International Exposition, San Francisco, in 1915; the traveling Swedish Exhibition in 1916; and the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm, in 1934, where it was listed as catalog number 192.

Exhibited and Acclaimed
After its completion in 1912, “Sagoflickan” was displayed in November of the following year at Konstnärshuset. Bauer exhibited alongside his colleague Sigge Bergström, and in a review by Aftonbladet, the critic singled out “Sagoflickan” as "captivating in colour and form" in its grand dimensions. In 1915, Dagens Nyheter spotlighted the painting in both text and image in its coverage of the Panama-Pacific International Exposition in San Francisco. This fair celebrated the completion of the Panama Canal in 1914 and showcased San Francisco's recovery from the devastating 1906 earthquake. The Swedish Pavilion was designed by architect Ferdinand Boberg, with Anshelm Schultzberg serving as commissioner for Swedish art.
The Dagens Nyheter report opened with three images: one of the exhibition hall, another of Schultzberg, and a third of “Sagoflickan”. The journalist wrote, "This exceptional fairy tale illustrator has already been recognized as one of the most remarkable exhibitors in the entire Palace of Fine Arts. Even the prosaic Americans are enchanted by Bauer’s art." The article continued, praising the painting on display: "One can hardly tire of his ‘Sagoflickan’ in oil or the dozen fairy tale drawings he exhibits here." Schultzberg explained in the report that the significant interest in Swedish art led to its inclusion in a traveling exhibition, The Swedish Exhibition, the following year.
On May 20, 1918, newspapers announced that “Sagoflickan” had been sold during the Cirkeln Artists' Exhibition. Ester Bauer had previously lamented the high commission taken by Cirkeln in a letter earlier that month. Of the 4,500 SEK sale price, the organization retained 900 SEK. Tragically, later that year, Bauer died in a boat accident alongside his wife and child. In 1919, Cirkeln organized a memorial exhibition for Bauer, where “Sagoflickan” was once again displayed and prominently featured in Svenska Dagbladet’s review.

Nature Mysticism and Folklore
“Sagoflickan” was painted during a time of heightened fascination with the mystical aspects of nature and the magical creatures of folklore. This interest in nature mysticism was a response to the rapid societal changes occurring around the turn of the 20th century. Amid the upheaval of industrialization, modernity, and scientific advancements, artists, writers, and composers turned their attention to the enigmatic and the supernatural aspects of nature. Myths of malevolent trolls, ethereal forest nymphs, and fairies had been passed down orally for centuries through legends, ballads, and folk tales, deeply ingraining these beings into cultural life. These creatures often served as explanations for phenomena that were misunderstood or deemed outside societal norms.
This cultural zeitgeist was prevalent in Stockholm when Bauer moved there in 1898 to study at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Having grown up in Jönköping in the late 19th century, Bauer spent much of his childhood exploring the dense forests of Småland with his father, a hunter, which left a profound impression on him. By 1900, Bauer had enrolled at the academy and quickly developed an interest in illustration. By 1903, he was recognized as an accomplished illustrator, notably for his drawings in Anna Wahlberg's fairy tale collection Länge, länge sedan (Long, Long Ago), for which Bauer designed the cover and created 26 illustrations. Over the following years, he refined his style and thematic focus, immersing himself in the enchanted forests inhabited by gnarled trolls, delicate fairies, and princesses amid moss-covered stones and towering trees.
In 1907, John Bauer was commissioned to illustrate Among Gnomes and Trolls, an annual collection of fairy tales. Through his illustrations, he would shape our vision of the enchanted forest and its inhabitants. The forest became his stage, populated with graceful princesses and peculiar trolls. Bauer settled with his wife, Ester Ellqvist, in Torstorp near Gränna, where the dense woods provided inspiration for his artistic world. In a letter, he wrote: “God, how the stars sparkle and crackle. The ice groans, and the earth is black.”
(From a letter by John Bauer to Carl Edvard Berggren, Gränna, Torstorp, January 16, 1907, JLM: John Bauer Archive, no. 677)

Bauer’s Fairy Girl
The fairytale princess was a recurring protagonist in Bauer’s artistic vision. In "Sagan om Dag och Daga och flygtrollet på Skyberget" from the 1907 edition of Among Gnomes and Trolls, we follow the princess as she journeys through the forest. The story reads: “With the golden crown on her head and dressed in her white gown, she walked there under the tall, somber fir trees.” Bauer depicted an ethereal princess whose light and beauty sharply contrasted with the dark depths of the forest. This interplay between light and darkness recurs in Bauer’s work, where grotesque trolls symbolize the untamed forces of nature, while the princess embodies the otherworldly and the sublime.

The inspiration for the princess’s form was his wife, Ester, whom Bauer first met during their studies at the Royal Academy of Art. Even during their student years, he painted her in the work “Sagoprinsessan” (“The Fairytale Princess”). She would later serve as the model for many of his illustrations. In a 1905 letter to Ester, Bauer wrote: “I have placed you so high, Esther. And up there is where I want you to stay.”
Over time, Bauer’s depiction of princesses began to transform. Between 1908 and 1909, Bauer and Ester traveled to Italy, a trip that proved pivotal for his artistry. In the 1942 biography “John Bauer – The Fairy Tale Illustrator”, art historian Harald Schiller argued that in Italy, Bauer fully liberated “the personal and original elements of his art.” During this period, Bauer worked on his second edition of Among Gnomes and Trolls, and the influence of the early Renaissance art he encountered in Florence became evident in his visual language.

In the tale “Svanhamnen” from the 1908 edition, Schiller observed that Bauer’s characters had evolved into Florentine men and women, “not only in posture and appearance but also in attire.” Schiller further described how Bauer merged southern European and Nordic elements: “It is not Italy’s rigid pines and fertile landscapes, but a romantic Småland setting with golden birches and wistfully blue-tinged distant hills that form the background.”

In the fourth edition of Among Gnomes and Trolls (1910), the fairytale princess was still a version of Ester but had become slightly more stylized and idealized, reminiscent of Mary figures from Renaissance paintings in Italy. Schiller described Bauer’s princesses from this period as “late descendants of Ghirlandaio’s and Botticelli’s blonde, delicate, and slender virgins.” Even the fairytale princes had transformed into Florentine youths, dressed in ancient Nordic costumes adorned with jewelry and weapons.

By this point, Bauer’s fairytale world had solidified into its enduring form. After the 1910 edition, his formative years were over. When he next illustrated Among Gnomes and Trolls in 1912, he had, as Schiller wrote, become a A fully realized master.

Monumental Painting
While Bauer is best known as an illustrator, his ambition extended to monumental painting, as demonstrated by “Sagoflickan”. His work was noted for its stylistic evolution, blending Italian Renaissance influences with a distinctly Nordic aesthetic. Critics of the time observed the monumental qualities of his illustrations, which found full expression in his larger compositions. Andreas Lindblom, writing in Svenska Dagbladet in 1919, remarked on “Sagoflickan”: "John Bauer's final years were marked by new creative directions. It would have been unnatural for such a strong artistic personality to remain satisfied with his established illustrative style for more than a decade. Suddenly, we encounter large compositions again, such as ‘Sagoflickan’ and ‘Freja’. The former is a book illustration magnified—a testament to the monumental conception underlying many of these small works."
Since its sale at Cirkeln in Stockholm in 1918, Sagoflickan has remained in private ownership.