Author: Isabelle Gapp
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Book Review: Steffen Kverneland’s Glorious Graphic Novel “Munch”
Edvard Munch’s The Scream is one of the most recognised paintings in the history of art. One could argue that alongside Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Monet’s Water Lilies, and Warhol’s Marilyn, it has become an iconic, and popular, painting which the general public are increasingly familiar with. With Steffen Kverneland’s graphic biography, simply entitled “Munch”, the…
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A (Belated) Review: Magic Light – En Plein Air Painting from the Late 19th Century, Waldemarsudde
It’s been a long time, but I’m back! I have now completed my MA, and am taking a brief (few day) break before diving head first into PhD applications. To be back writing about something other than my dissertation is refreshing. I felt it easiest therefore to start back with something easy and simple, such as…
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A New Idea of Swedish Ceramics – Per Hammarström
In an article recently published by the local.se, the author writes that, whereas the general perception of Swedish style is still that of light and white tones, the Swede is in fact falling for colour, abandoning the “sleek and clean interior design” for which they are epitomised. In the art of ceramics, the same concept…
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Norden – Nordic or Scandinavian?
Having a full-time job and being a full-time student is not an easy task, but it does mean that any free time you have becomes even more valuable; whether that be catching up with friends, or writing a blog post, which is still a breather from my dissertation. Working and studying means that the two…
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A Scandinavian in Paris: A Look at a Foreign Artist Community
I became inspired to write this post after purchasing a book entitled, Foreign Artists and Communities in Modern Paris, 1870-1914: Strangers in Paradise. Although brief mention is made of the Scandinavian artistic contingency which settled in the Paris region of Montparnasse, the focus relies very much on the groups of artists originating from Poland, the…
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Review: Russia and the Arts – The Age of Tolstoy and Tchaikovksy
Although the National Portrait Gallery’s exhibition, Russia and the Arts, is nearing its end, I thought I would just say a few words. Being a student of Scandinavian art, it is only natural that my research interests extend to the same period in Russian art. A few years ago, the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm staged an…
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Stockholm – Where the Artist Made His Home (Part 2)
I’ve been doing a lot of the above recently…my excuse for this post being slightly delayed! Thinking and now, writing, about other aspects of Scandinavian art has become a nice breather from my dissertation. It’s become a reward for making progress. The second, and final, part of this mini-guide to/study of the studios and homes of…
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"True North" – A Response to the ‘Idea of North’
I don’t intend for this to be a review of a book, but rather a personal response to the idea of a ‘true north’, and how much of how we identify the north and south is subjective, and entirely personal and emotional. I’m also writing this listening to Roxette, The Ballads – why not completely…
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Stockholm – Where the Artist Made His Home (Part 1)
Caught up in my own research, I completely neglected to post anything at all, despite having started two posts which now seem rather useless. However, whilst undertaking some of my own research, I came to miss home – Sweden. I’m an art historian specialising in Scandinavian art, so it’s only natural that homesickness kicks in…
Isabelle Gapp 