Nils Blommér
(1816-1853)
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Born in Blommeröd, Öveds parish, Scania, as Nils Jakob Olsson on
12 June 1816, Blómmer was a Swedish painter, who began his
career at age 20 painting portraits as an apprentice under the
painters Sven Bremberg and then Sven Olsson in Lund, where he
achieved some success. He also received instruction in drawing
by the academy master Magnus Körner there. In the Spring
of 1839, he moved to Stockholm, where he took the
name Blommér and enrolled in the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts.
After winning several medals, including the Ribbingska medal in
1842, the Tessinska medal in 1843, the Duke Medal in 1844 and
the Chancellor's medal in 1845 and 1846, among others, he
received a large grant in 1847 to travel abroad, which was
extended twice. Best known for his paintings of figures from folk tales and folk songs, Blómmer became a leading force in Stockholm, in association with the Artist's Guild formed in 1846, which set out to create "a nobler national art." In 1847, he traveled abroad on a scholarship and made his way through Germany, spending time with one of the nation's most prominent romantic painters, Moritz von Schwind— a leader in the popular movement. During his two-month stay in Germany, Blómmer took the opportunity to acquaint himself with several of Schwind's work on fairies, nymphs, nixies, and other folktale creatures. In his satchel, besides Tegnér's "Frithiof's saga", he also carried A. A. Afzelius' "Swenska Folkets Sagohäfder", which he studied extensively during quiet hours. Blómmer's dreams of a national art, founded on the people's own native imagination, began to take concrete form, first in 1849, with the canvas "Älvdrömmen", owned by Director R. Dickson, Gothenburg. Blómmer further studied in Paris at Leon Cognief's studio, and later in Rome, where he married his wife, the painter Edla Gustafva Jansson in November 1852. Before embarking on the trip to Italy, he sent home two more paintings with Nordic subjects, namely "Näcken and Ägir's daughters" and "Älvdansen" (both in the National Museum), the latter canvas strongly influenced by a painting with the same subject by von Schwind. Finally, he had prepared a draft of another painting with a fairy tale motif, namely "Asgårdsreia". Blómmer did not intend merely to create national subjects, he intended them to symbolize the four seasons: Älvdansen — Spring, Älvdrömmen — Summer, Näcken and Ägir's daughters — Autumn and Asgårdsreia — Winter. He passed away in Rome from a fatal lung infection, a few months after his marriage, dying on 1 February 1853. |
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 1845 Heimdall Returns the necklace Brising to Freyja Heimdal öfverlemnar till Freja smycket Brysing |
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 Heimdal and Freya Sketch |
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 Loki and Sigyn |
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 1849 Asgard-Ride Asgårdsreia |
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 1846 Idun and Bragi |
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 1850 The Elf-Dance or Meadow Elves Älv-dansen or Ängs-älvor |
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 1850 The Nixie and Ægir's Daughters Näcken och Ägirs döttrar |
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 1852 Freyja Seeking Her Husband Freja sökande sin make |
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