1851 -1906 · Swedish portrait, naturalism and Norse mythology

Psychological portraits, vigor of touch, legends of Näcken and visionary drawings make Ernst Josephson a major figure in Swedish modernity.

Ernst Josephson was born in Stockholm in 1851 into a Jewish family. Trained at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, he traveled early to Norway then continued his studies in Paris, where he copied the masters of the Louvre and discovered contemporary realism. A brilliant portraitist, he sought flattery less than psychological presence: gaze, posture and colorful material reveal the individuality of the model. In 1885, Josephson participated in the Opponents movement which challenged the conservative teaching of the Academy. In 1885, Josephson participated in the Opponents movement which challenged the conservative teaching of the Academy. In 1885, Josephson participated in the Opponents movement which challenged the conservative teaching of the Academy. In 1885, Josephson participated in the Opponents movement which challenged the conservative teaching of the Academy. At the same time, he worked for more than a decade on the theme of Näcken or Stromkarlen, a water musician spirit in Nordic folklore. The androgynous body, the violin and the torrent combines nature, sensuality and the misunderstood figure of the artist. In 1888, a serious psychological crisis turned his life upside down. Josephson, however, continued to draw and paint, producing visionary sheets populated by historical, religious and imaginary characters who would be admired by modern generations. He died near Stockholm in 1906, leaving a work between naturalism, symbolism and inner expression. The "Ernst Josephson" selection notably compares Portrait of Jeanette Rubenson and Stromkarlen. His reading favors space.

Josephson transforms the portrait like the legend: beneath the visible appearance, he seeks the inner rhythm which makes a being irreducibly present.