Gustaf Fjæstad

Fjaestad

Gustaf Adolf Christensen Fjæstad was born on 22 December 1868 in Stockholm and died on 17 July 1948 in Arvika. Fjæstad studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts and later with Bruno Liljefors and Carl Larsson. His first public exhibition was in 1897. Fjæstad later moved to Värmland, where he founded the Rackstad Group, by lake Racken, Arvika. The Rackstad Group also included the artists Björn Ahlgrenssn, Bror Lindh and Fritz Lindström, as well as his wife, textiles artist Maja Fjæstad. Gustaf Fjæstad also joined the Konstnärsförbundet (the association of Swedish artists). Fjæstad developed decorative landscape painting in the national-romantic style. He was particularly skilled at depicting snow, rime and water. Fjæstad also designed furniture, metalwork and tapestries. The Canadian painters in the Group of Seven were inspired by Fjæstad’s painting, which they saw at a show in the US. Fjæstad was also a successful athlete; he competed at elite level in skating and cycling.