Egron Lundgren - Monk in a Monastic Cell
Regular price 72 839 krEgron Lundgren (1815–1875)
Monk in a Monastic Cell
signed and dated Egron Lundgren Rom 1848
oil on relined canvas
unframed 62 x 50 cm (24 ½ x 19 ¾ in.)
framed 79 x 68 cm (31 x 26 ¾ in.)
Essay:
Painted during Lundgren’s formative years in Italy (1847–1853), this work reflects the artist’s deep engagement with both the artistic heritage and the lived culture of central Italy. After settling in Rome, he traveled extensively in the surrounding countryside, including the mountain village of Cervara di Roma in the Sabine range, long celebrated for its rugged scenery, medieval cloisters, and monastic life. It was here, in the autumn of 1848, that Lundgren noted in his diary: “I have now in the autumn painted a monastic cell with a monk.”
The present work gives visual form to that entry. A solitary friar, robed in brown, stands in the sparse interior of his cell. A shaft of light from a narrow window illuminates his features, while beyond lies the radiant Italian landscape. The contrast between the dim interior and the luminous world outside encapsulates the monk’s withdrawal from earthly concerns into spiritual contemplation.
Lundgren’s Italian sojourn was decisive for his artistic development. Immersed in the study of Renaissance and Baroque masters, he simultaneously captured the immediacy of Italian life, from rustic interiors to monastic rituals. His refined chiaroscuro and empathetic rendering here reveal both his fascination with the dignity of religious devotion and his ability to transform observation into poetic imagery.
Literature:
Egron Lundgren, Reseskildringar, anteckningar och bref, collected and published by Georg Nordensvan:
“Vi voro äfven någon tid uppe i Cervara, där jag målade en interiör af en bondstuga m. m., som jag vill skicka hem, äfven har jag nu på hösten målat en klostercell med en munk.”
We also spent some time in Cervara, where I painted the interior of a peasant’s cottage and other subjects, which I wish to send home; I have now in the autumn also painted a monastic cell with a monk.
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