Fryklund, Gunhild Maria: Swedish printmaker

(Stora Kil Värmland 02-01-1892 – 1970)

Several years ago I shared the flower woodblock prints by Swedish printmaker  Maja Fjaested (1873-1961), today I share the prints I was able to find in the Internet by a student off her husband, but I have reasons to believe (below) she may have been more inspired by Maja in her printmaking.     

Swedish artist and printmaker. Daughter of arts & crafts artist Gustaf Fryklund en Josefina Nilsdotter. Studied 1911 with Otto Hesselblom (1848-1913), in Göteborg Valand art academy and with Gustaf Fjæstad (1868-1948).

Solo exhibitions in Gummeson art galery in Stockholm in 1925 en 1940 and together with Thor Fagerkvist (1884-1960) and Paul Grundmark (1887-1972) in the New Museum in 1929 and at Liljeval “Kunsthal” she was represented with 22 works. 

She created landscapes, interiors, portraits in oil and was a woodblock printmaker. Her work is collected in the Värmland and  Halmstad museums.

She is mentioned in several Scandinavian artists lexicons and this last print showed up recently in an online auction site. 

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All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only. 

Maria Delago, an unexpected pleasure

Maria Delago

(St. Leonhard im Passeier 11-01-1902 – 02-10-1979 Bresanone)

Austrian Arts and Crafts  and ceramic artist, sculptor and printmaker.  

Thanks to a helping hand and a hint from Lily (of the much missed Japonism blog) I recently came to know this artist. Although she is slightly outside my field of research (born just after 1900) I immediately have included her into my research and biographies list: like Lily I love an artist who just needs her garden to inspire her to such delicate creations of lasting beauty. 

(See also Marlies Meinshausen-Felsing, Thea Gutmann, Lisbet Schultz: follow labels below)   

These color etchings remind me strongly of the delicate floral prints by Scandinavian printmaker Maja Fjaested (1873-1961) whom I introduced earlier (here, or follow the label below) in 2011 in this Blog. 

Maria was the artistic daughter of a district judge and Rosa Amalia Plant. Studied 1922-1926 in the “Kunstgewerbeschule des Östereichischen Museum für Kunst und Industrie” in Vienna with sculptor, ceramist and glass artist Michael Powolny (1871-1954) (right). 

Powolny was a craftsman working in clay and glass and created some stunningly beautiful glasswork (for the famous Art Deco Bohemian glass company of Loetz) and worked also in relief. His experience and skills inspiring Maria Delago later to create her often biblically inspired stoneware plaquettes and some very beautiful earthenware pottery.   

In 1928 she studied in Munich “Kunstakademie” with cartoonist Olaf Gulbransson (1873-1958). Gulbransson, a Norwegian, friend of Max Liebermann and a member of the Berlin Secession since 1914 drew since 1902 for the satirical Simplicissimus Magazine. Just Google his name to enjoy his timeless humor and a 100 years later still very modern work. 

His views on how our creator sees upon us (without cloths) and when we have arrived at the end of our earthly time (just potty trained) are food for some serious reflection. 

But Gulbransson besides his satirical work also painted (below), portraits like Hans Holbein (1497-1543) (his wife Grete) and in his very "simple" Spring Landscape shows the origin and influence on Maria Delago's later botanical graphic work. 

She moved to, lived and worked in the city of Bolzana (Bozen) and in the 1930’s lived and worked for while in the Netherlands employed by the “Mosa” ceramics company in Maastricht. In 1948 she returned to her native region (Tirol, Austrian-Italian borderland) and established a studio in Bolzano (Bosen). 

In 1964 she received the “Walther von der Vogelweide”(*) price and was awarded a honorary membership of the “Südtiroler Künstlerbund” in 1968. Known for her delicate floral coloured etchings and ceramic reliefs of biblical themes.  She died of complications caused by a traffic accident.

(*) Walther von der Vogelweide (c.1170- c 1230): Germany's greatest Middle High German lyric Poet. Woodblock print by printmaker Carl Alexander Brendel (1877-1945)

Thank you Lily !

All pictures borrowed freely from the Internet for friendly, educational and non commercial use only.

Maja Fjaestad, Swedish Spring

Kerstin Maria (Maja) Fjaestad (neé Hallén)
(1871 – 1961)

Swedish textile and graphic artist, (portrait) painter and woodblock printer

Spring in Sweden.

For a long time I’ve had a strong admiration for the flower prints of Swedish Maja Fjaestad. She is most and almost exclusively known and loved in here home country. To this day. Her prints wandering hardly out of Scandinavia.
Maja Hallén attended the Artists’ Association School in Landskrone in 1890–92 and exhibited for the first time in 1897. Later in London presenting her skills as a portrait painter.

She created a style very much of her own carving out the complete outline of the composition (all but the later blacks) from the block and colouring this background block "the Japanese way". With a wash of soft pastel colors. Secondly printing color components with additional blocks. This is why you never see two the same prints.

She didn’t number editions so a good guess is there must be hoards about. Very recognizable prints. Bread and butter prints. If you’ve seen one you’ll never miss another. She is most remembered by these simple but strong compositions high in emotional decorative value. In Sweden.

A promoter of fine craftsmanship, she helped found the Arvika Konsthantverk handicraft association.

On many occasions the wearing of the prints (or blocks) is showing. Probably she didn’t use very good quality paint or inks or printing papers. Many of the prints I've seen have faded dramatically. This maybe also due to domestic Swedish circumstances (the light, wood fires). Maybe a Swedish reader (there are !) can enlighten me.

This selection showing you end of winter and the international harbingers of spring. Besides the flower compositions (I collected some 50 different from old auction catalogues) the two bigger winter scenes and the titmouse print showing she was quite capable of rendering a landscape in a woodblock print.
Maja married Gustav Fjaestad (1868-1948), a loved and very respected Swedish painter of mostly classic winter landscapes. Gustav is represented in most Swedish museums.

I found this wonderful and idyllic picture of two amorous starlings (also a token of spring) attributed to her husband Gustav. It says mixed medium, but my guess is it is possibly also a print. Owning one or two of these small flower prints by Maja Fjaestad is a long cherished wish (any one of these springflower prints will do just fine).

I'll happily comply with any readers request to do a follow up on the art of this Swedish couple. Just ask and leave a comment.