The National Art Museum of Sweden

Which artworks made an impression?

Amor and Psyche, the sculpture by Johan Tobias Sergel probably had the biggest impact on me. At first I didn’t know what the sculpture made of marble stone represented, just that it was so unbelievably smooth and detailed that I wanted to reach out and feel the contours in it (of course I didn’t with guards nearby.) The first pictures I tool were of backsides and feet of the statue, simply admiring how such hard stone had turned into a life like flowing form with so much motion. I loved something about this statue before I knew the back story, but I’ll be  honest in saying it was the meaning of this piece and not necessarily the piece itself that I fell in love with. It’s a long mythical story, but I’ll sum up. Venus (the god) was jealous of this mortal (female figure shown) Psyche’s beauty. So Venus sent her son Amore (cupid-the male god in sculpture form) to make Psyche fall in love with the most hideous man. Instead of doing this Amore fell in love with Psyche, but made her promise to never look at his face (his divine beauty was to remain a secret). Psyche promised and they lived happily for a short while meeting only at night in the dark. Psyche’s sisters were jealous of her love and convinced her that her man may indeed be a monster. Psyche became worried and curious by this so she shone the lamp on his face one night while he slept. She was so startled by his divine beauty that she spilled some hot oil on his face and woke him (the lamp on the ground is a part of the sculpture). Amore was furious with her betrayal and lack of trust so he left never to return. This statue shows Psyche pleading with Amore to stay with her and begging for her forgiveness. Psyche was in love however and searched everywhere for Amore, finally asking the gods for help she was denied by all but one, Venus. Venus saw this as an opportunity to destroy this beautiful mortal princess so she gave Psyche a series of impossible tasks in return for help finding Amore. Psyche completed every task to Venus’s demise so Venus tricked her by making her next task put her into a coma when she completed it. At this point Jupiter intervened and consulted with the other gods to allow psyche to enter the immortal realm and become divine herself. They agreed, admiring her perseverance and passion for love, so she was turned immortal and a wedding was arranged for Amore and Psyche. Both the story behind and the unique details of this marble sculpture made it have an impact on me. (I even bought a little shopping bad with this picture on it because I liked it so much!)

Another impressionable piece was Rembrant Harmensz van Rijn’s “The Kitchen Maid.” The simplicity and unity in this piece were attractive to me. I love that he chose an “ordinary” girl for his subject. This painting was actually put in his window for 2 weeks and tricked people on the street into thinking it was a real girl gazing out of a window. Her look is really admirable and you wonder what she’s thinking. Rembrandts intention was to leave an impression, make people look harder and wonder who this girl is. This wasn’t a popular subject to paint in his day so I admire the originality and humor in the “joke” he played on the towns people.

Which artworks do I feel a connection with and why?

I made a connection with the painting “Sledding” by Bruno Liljefors (1882). This painting seemed familiar in a happy way, like a memory of mine or a dream that had been perfectly painted. The picture he paints reminds me of night sledding with the neighborhood as a child. I can bring myself back to the cold winter air and my soggy boots from too much fun in the snow. Lastly I can almost feel the warmth of the house he paints at the top of the hill. This painting reminds me of some of the pictures we have at our house too so that provides another connection.

Another work of art that I made a connection with was Nils Kreuger’s March Evening (1900). This piece stood out to me specifically because the beauty and movement shown gives me a similar experience to the first time I walked around Stockholm. I have never been abroad before and everything seems so much more beautiful, perhaps because of how much history it holds. I walked around in the evening (since they come so early here) and just admired the way these hundred year old buildings were complimented by the surrounding water that’s everywhere. This picture is very aesthetically pleasing to me because of the colors and pleasant feelings I associate with the subject.

Which pieces of artwork would I like to know more about and why?

Upon seeing Alexander Roslin’s The Lady with the Veil. The Artist’s Wife (1768) I instantly wanted to know more about it. Why was this woman covering half of her face with a veil? Was she hiding a scar or deformity? Her other eye shows past the veil, but only if you look closely, I wonder if this was her intention to hide or the artists? These questions were answered by activating the audio-tour description. The artist was criticized for painting a portrait of a man showing his ‘bad-eye’ (I am assuming wounded or deformed.) He painted this in retaliation. It is a picture of his wife and it was what I would call an old-fashioned ‘come-back’ as if to say “don’t tell me what to paint and what to hide.” I thought this was clever and the piece is certainly more admirable for it.

Another piece I wished to know more about was Jan Massy’s Venus Cytheria (exact date unknown 1509-1575). This is a massive painting that I could get really close to and inspect in the museum. After noticing certain things about the painting I wanted to know why certain things were placed in certain places. There is a translucent couple in the background, are they supposed to be ghosts? Her foot seems to have been erased and re-painted, was this a mistake or on purpose? What are the significance of each of the details? The audio-guide gave quite a lengthy explanation about this painting and every single thing in it does hold some sort of symbolic meaning which I appreciate. The couple in the background isn’t suppose to be transparent, but the paint has faded because the picture is so old, showing that the artist drew the couple in on top of the background (this indicated that they may not have been in his original plans.) The foot was moved to a different position by the artist, as well as her fingers on her left hand. The paint he used to correct his original design has worn with age revealing his initial placement. This was really unique to see in a painting and I’m glad there was so much information about it with the audio tour.