1934/01/01 by Thure Nyman · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Art #Art history #Genius #Historical Art and Architecture Studies #History #Order (exchange) #Portrait #Sculpture
paper · doi:10.1080/00233603408603177
openalex publication_date 1934/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/29
Summary Johan Niclas Byström was born at Filipstad on the 18th December 1783. He was the son of a trader, Councillor Jan Byström, and of Greta Nils‐dotter. The father died when his son was still a minor, and the latter, who showed artistic leanings at an early age, appears to have been compelled by his mother.to remain at home and devote himself to the business. It was not until after her death in 1803 that Byström had the opportunity to follow his true bent. He sold his property and betook himself to Stockholm, where he first of all paid a visit to Sergel, which seems to indicate that he was already fully aware of the nature of his genius. However, the great sculptor's experiences of pupils in the past had not been particularly encouraging, and he gave a definite refusal to instruct him. Byström then turned to Professor Jonas Forsslund, one of the less important makers of portraits in sculpture, oils and pastel at that time, who readily undertook to teach him. At the same time he worked under the brothers Martin in order to learn the principles of the art of engraving, but he soon gave it up as he found it too much of a strain for the eyes. The earliest known work of Byström's that has been preserved is however a lightly aquarelled drawing of the park at Haga, dated 1803 (fig. 1), now in the collections of the Uppsala University Library, and which shows that he succeeded quite well in acquiring the Martins’ methods as regards conception and technique. Masreliez was also one of Byström's teachers during his first years of study at the Konstakademien, and this probably had some influence on his attitude towards an‐tiquity, which had for a long time of course been almost universally recognized as the highest source of inspiration and prototype of form in the artistic life of Sweden. Of more vital importance for the development of Byström's art along those lines was, however, the change of attitude in his favour adopted by Sergel, when the young Academy stu‐dent exhibited his first sculptural works. They displayed unmistakable talent, and Sergel believed that he had at last found a worthy successor — a belief from which he was never to depart. He now undertook Byström's training as a sculptor, and during the years that followed Byström was repre‐sented at the Academy's annual exhibitions by a series of sculptural works of a varied nature, por‐traits, copies of antique works of art, and inde‐pendent prize‐compositions dealing with subjects laid down by the Academy and executed under the guidance of Sergel. Byström experienced his first triumph when the Academy purchased a copy of his bas‐relief on the subject “Cornelia presents her sons the Gracchi as being her real treasures to a Roman lady who asked to see her jewels”. It was a rare distinction, of far greater value than the plaques and gold medals he had previously been awarded for his works. This relief, with its tall figures after the pattern of the later classicism, its carefully studied grouping, its almost too obvious rhythm, displays both the weaknesses of the style and the by no means inconsiderable insight that Byström had now gained into the art of antiquity. Moreover, it exhibits the feature that was to be‐come so characteristic of his own art, when it had reached its zenith, — a preference for depicting the tenderness of womanhood, in both its bad and its good aspects. In his portrait medallions and busts from this time on he associates himself more and more closely with the prototypes from Sergel's hand which he had such abundant opportunities of studying while working in the latter's studio, and in some can be traced a power of charac‐terization by no means inferior to that of the master himself, though for obvious reasons it could hardly become very highly developed during a period when classical ideals prevailed so completely, even in the art of portraiture. Thanks to his con‐nection with Sergel, which gradually developed into the relationship of a protegé and friend, Byström was able to count amongst his clientèle many of the more important men and women in the Capital, as is evidenced by the lists of his exhibited works. He was fully occupied and he was well paid. But in spite of the great amount of work he did, impelled by his ambition and by the fact that he was so late in entering upon the career which he had undoubtedly long felt to be his true calling, he found time to associate with those circles that amused themselves — though in quite an innocent way —, to engage in skating and excursions to the taverns in the neighbourhood of the Capital. The so‐ciety he mostly consorted with consisted of a group of young men from his own native province, Värm‐land, a circle that was destined later on to become the nucleus of the Gothic Society (a patriotic asso‐ciation of young men founded in 1811 to “foster the ancient Goths’ sense of liberty, courage and honour"), and among them he made lifelong friend‐ships. Geijer and Tegnér were members. In spite of the many ties that thus bound him to Stock‐holm, he longed to be able to get into touch with the art of antiquity, and after seven years of hard study he realized this ambition, obtaining an Aca‐demy scholarship enabling him to spend three years in Rome, whither he went in May 1810. It was now not only Sergel, who was never to see him again, who regarded Byström as the one great hope in Swedish art.