Few artists have had as much influence on Nordic folklore and storytelling as Swedish John Bauer. John Bauer is one of Sweden's most beloved artists and is best known for his fairy tale motifs with trolls and princesses that were published in the early editions of the fairy tale collection Among Elves and Trolls. Who was the young man from Jönköping and what happened to him?
John Albert Bauer was born on 4 June 1882 in Jönköping, where his parents ran a successful charcuterie business. Already at the age of 16, John moved to Stockholm to train as an artist. In Stockholm he met his future wife, the beautiful artist Esther Ellqvist who was also a student there Royal Academy of Liberal Arts . The relationship was characterized by strong passion and love but also a lot of jealousy and ambivalence. They married in 1906 in Gränna and had a son together, Bengt "Putte". Both Putte and Esther became models for several of John's famous works.
Most of Bauer's paintings consist of watercolors, but he also painted some in oil. In the mid-1910s, John Bauer is only about thirty years old, but already an established and recognized artist. The famous fairytale artist has for many years illustrated and painted motifs with goblins, princesses, elves and giants. Pressed by demands and expectations, he sometimes doubts himself as an artist and wants to paint more than his fairytale motifs. After 1915, he resigns from the commission to illustrate "Among Elves and Goblins" and seeks new ways of expressing his imagination. Monumental art became a new form of expression that characterized Bauer's last years with famous works such as De Dansande Nymferna, Blå Eva, Fanstyg and Freja .
The Dancing Nymphs by John Bauer from 1915.
On November 20, 1918, the whole family met a tragic fate when the steamer Per Brahe that they traveled with shipwreck in an autumn storm on Lake Vättern and they perished. John was only 36 years old. It would later turn out that it was, among other things, sewing machines from Husqvarna that were wrongly loaded on board and created devastating consequences in the fierce storm.
John Bauer's paintings and illustrations in chronological order
In the Forest ( In the Forest ), 1901
An Old Mountain Troll , 1904
A Troll's Journey, 1907
The Trolls of Domberget , 1907
There was one called Jock ( The Giant ), 1909
A Forest Troll , 1909
Birdsong , 1910
Vill Vallareman ( A Fairy Tale Shepard ), 1910
Maria med Barnet ( Maria and the Child ), 1911
Fröja at Svipdag on Singastein (Svipdag), 1911
She often sneaked out into the fog to smell the good smell ( The Cabin in the Woods ), 1911
The Christmas Goat , 1911
The Christmas Goat, 1912
The Awakened Giant , 1912
Poor little Basse!, 1912
The Gift ( The Gift ), 1912
What do you want here in my forest? she cried, when Santa came walking ( The Hulder ), 1912
The moose shooters ( Northern Serenity ), 1912
The Boy Who Was Never Afraid , 1912
Brother Sankt Martin and the three trolls ( St. Martin and the Trolls ), 1913
The Princess and the Trolls , 1913
Tuvstarr and Skutt i Skogen ( Crescent Moon ), 1913
Tuvstarr still sits and looks down into the water ( Tuvstarr ), 1913
It was downright impossible to put up with such barking, howling rascals ( Trolls and Wolves ), 1914
He grew grumpier and grumpier as time went on ( The Gatekeeper ), 1914
The Dancing Nymphs ( Dancing Nymphs ), 1915
A Knight Rides Forward, 1915
Fan fabric , 1915
Lena and the Knight Dance , 1915
The Boy and the Troll, 1915
Look at them, said the sorceress. Look at my sons! More beautiful trolls are not this side of the moon ( The Stolen Princess ), 1915
Freya , 1916
Motherly Love , 1917
När Putte Red till Björkudden ( A Ride to Björkudden ), 1917
The Trolls and the Child , 1917
Blue Eve , 1918