Gunnar Berndtson

Finnish painter

Gunnar Berndtson
Portrait photograph, 1880s
Born	Gunnar Fredrik Berndtson (1854-10-24)24 October 1854 Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
Died	9 April 1895(1895-04-09) (aged 40) Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
Nationality	Finnish
Known for	Painting

Gunnar Fredrik Berndtson (24 October 1854, Helsinki – 9 April 1895, Helsinki) was a painter from the Grand Duchy of Finland who was noted for his attention to realistic detail.^[1]^[2]

Biography

His father was Fredrik Berndtson [fi], a well-known author, journalist and poet.^[3] He began his higher studies at the Polytechnic Institute (now the Helsinki University of Technology). Since 1869, however, he had been associating with members of the Academy of Fine Arts and was auditing art classes at the University of Helsinki taught by Erik Johan Löfgren and others.^[1]

By 1876, he had made the decision to be an artist, so he went to Paris, where he enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts and studied under Jean-Léon Gérôme.^[3] He remained there until 1882. During his stay, he became part of a group centered around Albert Edelfelt (they had been friends since youth) and was influenced by the Salon style of painting. His first exhibit at the Salon came in 1878.^[1]^[4]

From 1882 to 1883, he visited Egypt^[3] as the guest of Alphonse, Baron Delort de Gléon (1843-1899), a mining engineer. He settled in the French community there, painting portraits and providing illustrations, as a correspondent, for Le Monde illustré.^[1] Three years after his return to Finland, he got married. In 1889, he received the State Prize for portrait painting.

He frequently returned to Paris to exhibit at the Salon, where he had always had his greatest successes. From 1890 to 1892, he was a teacher at the Academy of Fine Arts, where Magnus Enckell was among his best-known students. Others included Ellen Thesleff^[5] and Beda Stjernschantz.^[6]

Berndtson died in 1895 of a "degenerative ailment"; possibly syphilis.^{[citation needed]} He is buried in the Hietaniemi Cemetery in Helsinki.^[7]

Works

Music in the Studio, 1878
Chess Players, 1878
Yes - No, Pause in the Studio, 1879
Art Connoisseurs in the Louvre, 1879
The Bride's Song, 1881
Laskiaistiistai, 1882
Woman with a Bird at the Castle of Maison Laffitte, 1882
Almée, an Egyptian Dancer, 1883
Self-portrait in a 17th century outfit, 1884
A Rest on the Way to the Fair, 1886
Portrait of Dentistry Professor Matti Äyräpää [fi], 1889
The Mirror, 1889
His Name, 1890
Garden Idyll, unknown date
Ski Patrol, 1891
Salmon Fishers at the Langinkoski Rapid, 1892
Summer, 1893
Kulosaari Strait, 1895

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Arell, Berndt (17 February 2003). "Berndtson, Gunnar (1854 - 1895)". Kansallisbiografia. Translated by Ulpu Marjomaa. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
^ "Gunnar Berndtson". Artist Registry. Artists' Association of Finland. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
^ ^a ^b ^c Biographical notes @ Projekt Runeberg, "Nordisk familjebok".
^ Vainio-Kurtakko, Maria (2022). Ett gott parti : Scener ur Ellan de la Chapelles och Albert Edelfelts liv (in Swedish). Svenska litteratursällskapet i Finland. ISBN 978-951-583-557-4.
^ "Ellen Thesleff". Ateneum. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
^ "Artist Register - Beda Stjernschantz". Kuvataiteilijamatrikkeli.fi (in Finnish). Artists' Association of Finland. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
^ "Hietaniemen hautausmaa – merkittäviä vainajia" (PDF). Helsingin seurakuntayhtymä. Retrieved 27 August 2016.