Autumn Ploughing on the Marshland

Autumn Ploughing on the Marshland

1911

Oil on canvas

Mått 84,00 x 130,00 cm Ram 94,00 x 139,00 x 5,00 cm

GKM 0446

Purchase, 1911

A person walks behind a plough pulled by two oxen across a field beside a meandering river. White clouds and blue sky are reflected in the gleaming surface of the water. In one of the river’s bends, a cluster of birch trees with yellow foliage catches the light. Beyond the field, a dark forest rises against a bright yellow horizon. One can almost sense the crisp air, the earthy smells, and the first hints of colder weather. Summer has passed; autumn has arrived. The work captures both the beauty of the landscape and the hard physical labour performed daily by humans and animals alike. Ester Almqvist came from a clerical family in Småland. She trained under Carl Larsson at the Valand Academy in Gothenburg, and later under Bruno Liljefors and Richard Bergh at the Artists’ Union school in Stockholm. Her career was limited by the fact that she remained in her family home until her mother’s death in 1913, which prevented her from travelling abroad. Almqvist was among the first Swedish artists to depict people engaged in work, as in this piece. She mastered several techniques, including oil painting, watercolour, ink and charcoal drawing, and lithography.