1858 -1919 · Stockholm, Paris and Swedish artistic revival

Nordic light, psychological silence and institutional commitment make Richard Bergh a central actor in Swedish national romanticism.

Sven Richard Bergh was born in Stockholm in 1858 and died in 1919. Son of the landscaper Edvard Bergh, he grew up in an artistic home then studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. In 1882, he left for Paris, attended the Colarossi Academy and the studio of Jean-Paul Laurens. Like several Nordic artists, he first adopted French naturalism, but soon judged Swedish education and institutions too conservative. In 1885, he participated in the French naturalism, but soon judged Swedish education and institutions too conservative. In 1885, he participated in the Opponents movement and in 1886 became one of the founders of the Konstnärsförbundet, the Union of Artists. His painting evolved towards a more synthetic and symbolic vision of the Nordic world. Nordic evening, also known as Evening nordic summer, shows two figures on a terrace facing water and hills. The long northern light suspends time; close characters remain psychologically separated, absorbed by a landscape that becomes an interior state. Bergh also painted powerful portraits of writers and artists, wrote about art and defended public education. In 1915, he became director of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. Despite a brief mandate, he became director of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm. Despite a brief mandate, he modernized the display, acquisition policy and design of the museum, which he wanted to be alive and accessible. His work and institutional action thus linked painting, criticism and cultural reform at a time when Sweden was seeking an artistic identity modern. The "Richard Bergh" selection notably compares Nordic Evening. His reading favors composition.

Bergh makes the Nordic evening a mental space: light brings the figures together, but silence reveals everything that separates them.