Oscar Lycke - Fäbod Settlement near Liden

Oscar Lycke (1877-1927) Sweden

Fäbod Settlement near Liden, c. 1910

Pencil and crayon on paper
signed OSC. LYCKE
unframed 16.5 x 22.7 cm (6.5 x 8.9 in)
framed 18 x 24 cm (7.1 x 9.4 in)

Provenance:
Acquired directly from Katarina Gunnarsson, who inherited the painting from her mother, Barbro, the daughter of the artist.

Essay:
This exquisitely detailed drawing by Swedish artist Oscar Lycke captures a rustic settlement nestled in the golden highlands of northern Sweden, most likely depicting the traditional summer pastures of Bodåker near Liden, a region where the artist often found inspiration. Though modest in size, the drawing reveals Lycke’s exceptional skill and sensitivity, honed through years of dedicated study – including formal training in draftsmanship.

The landscape is rendered with a dynamic, almost rhythmic energy: the swirl of clouds above feels alive, their motion echoed in the curving lines of the earth below. A cluster of weathered timber buildings stands quietly amid the terrain, bathed in amber light. These structures – barns, cottages, storehouses – evoke the remote “fäbod” settlements once common in the highlands of Jämtland and Dalarna, where families and livestock spent summers in alpine isolation. Lycke's lines, finely layered with colored crayon, give texture and movement to the scene without sacrificing clarity or structure.

Oscar Lycke was a rare talent. Though he exhibited widely in Sweden, it was in New York that he achieved his greatest success. There, critics praised both his subtlety of vision and his technical command. His works speak of a deep affection for the Swedish landscape – not as grandiose or sentimental, but as something intimately known and honestly observed.

This small drawing is a fine example of that vision. It is unassuming but profound, precise but full of feeling. Lycke transforms a fleeting view into something quietly monumental.