This mid-20th-century oil painting by Swedish artist, Sam Uhrdin (1886-1964), depicts a woman undertaking crafts by a window. Uhrdin was an accomplished painter of scenes, portraits, and landscapes.
A wooden interior creaks with the rhythm of endeavour as sunlight cascades between curtains. Beyond, two open doors lead through to a kitchen with a tantalising glimpse of a radiant garden. It’s a quiet moment captured with sensitivity.
Born in Tasbäck, Dalarna, Sam Uhrdin was raised in the most idyllic surroundings. Where handicrafts were integral to the local culture. Dalarna is blessed with mountains, views, and picturesque lakes - everything an artist could wish for. His father, the rather splendidly named Sam Uhr Uhrdin the Elder, was a master of ‘Kurbit painting’, which is a folk art style involving bright and elaborately designed furnishings. From an early age, young Uhrdin was surely inspired.
After his initial tuition at home, he moved to Stockholm - painting in the daytime and studying in the evening. Quite an adventure for a 17-year-old. His ambition took him to America where he worked as a sign painter before returning home via London and Paris. It’s interesting to consider how he felt when surrounded by the vibrancy of urban life.
In 1911, with the assistance of patronage, he enrolled at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts while also training at Althin's painting school. Here, he developed as a portrait painter of some distinction and became popular with bourgeois clients. In fact, he became so busy that his studies were cut short as he was inundated with commissions. His notoriety for capturing a likeness culminating in a portrait of Prime Minister Nils Edén.
Away from the rigour of formal portraits, Uhrdin’s passion was for genre painting, as we see here. He loved the ‘old valley culture’ and painted numerous villagers undertaking everyday activities. His scenes often include objects and costumes collected on his travels - as his own home was a treasure trove of materials.
In 1935, he acquired ‘Tibble Manor’, a traditional rural building, which also became a studio and it’s plausible that it became the backdrop for many of his interiors. He continued to paint well into his seventies.
Sam Uhrdin is represented in numerous public collections including the National Museum in Stockholm, Leksand's Art Gallery, and Uppsala University.
Signed in the lower right and held in a later frame.
Learn more about Sam Uhrdin in our directory.
Medium: Oil on canvas
Overall size: 45” x 37” / 114cm x 94cm
Year of creation: c. 1950
Labels & Inscriptions: Titled on reverse.
Provenance: Private collection, Sweden.
Condition: Cleaned. Frame in good condition with minor age-related wear.
Artist’s auction maximum: £14,836 for ‘Bondkök med dalkullor och lekande barn’, Oil on canvas, Beijers Auktioner, Konst, Stockholm, Sweden, 1989 (lot 314).
Our reference: BRV1921
