Tillbaka till Normandie : nordiska konstnärer i Normandie 1850-1900

Sammanfattning: This work aims to explore, examine and describe the sojourns and activities of artists from Scandinavia in Normandy from around 1850 to the turn of the century. The development of this temporary ”colony” is placed in its cultural context, its underlying canses analyzed. The artists’ own perceptions of Normandy’s cultural terrain have been studied in their paintings, sketch-books, letters, etc., which are now dispersed in different private and public collections and archives. The places where the artists stayed and worked have been visited. The author has tried, with the help of local experts in France, to identify the subjects of the artists’ works. The first part of the thesis consists of a series of short analytical sections, each devoted to one aspect of the contemporary artistic and social situation significant to the development of the Scandinavian artists. The second part is a descriptive presentation structured geographically. The study shows that the Scandinavian artists’ excursions and sojourns in Normandy must be viewed as a natural constituent of their artistic studies during their stay in France. The Scandinavians were taking part in a process that embraced most artists of the era. Unlike other nationalities, however, the Scandinavians felt a special historical bond with the ”land of the Norsemen”. Motivation and working methods varied a great deal among the Scandinavians. Some developed an uncompromising open-air style, in which the encounter with the Atlantic coast’s distinctive light and scenery played a crucial role. Others concentrated on subjects typical of life in the region, peasants and fishermen at work, for ideological or ethnological reasons. The years in Normandy were to leave their mark for many years on several contemporary Swedish and Norwegian artists. Around the turn of the century there was a reorientation affecting both artistic and geographical sources of inspiration. The influence of Normandy and Brittany waned.