Carl Magnus Lindqvist - Portrait of a Young Woman (1911)

Carl Magnus Lindqvist (1884-1977) Sweden

Portrait of a Young Woman (1911)

oil on canvas mounted on masonite
signed and dated
unframed 43 x 35 cm (16.9 x 13.8 in)
framed 49.5 x 41 cm (19.5 x 16.1 in)

Essay:
Carl Magnus Lindqvist was 27 when he painted this portrait in 1911. The composition presents a young woman in three-quarter profile, dressed in a high-collared white blouse whose finely rendered pleats and reflective textures offer a rhythmic counterpoint to the softness of her dark hair. Central to the work is the subject’s gaze—direct, penetrating, and imbued with a quiet tension. Her expression conveys a sense of self-awareness and reserved defiance, elevating her from subject to presence.

The work belongs to a formative period in Lindqvist’s career, when he remained in close contact with his mentors Oscar Björck and Gustaf Cederström, both notable figures in Swedish academic painting. This portrait reflects his growing ability to unite classical technique with a more personal and emotionally attuned sensibility, an approach that would define much of his later output, in which human experience and environmental context are integrally linked.

Carl Magnus Lindqvist (1884–1977) was born in Överboda, Västerbotten. He began his artistic training at the Technical School’s evening courses in Stockholm before continuing at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts between 1905 and 1908, where he studied under Björck and Cederström. He also trained in etching under Axel Tallberg. Lindqvist’s exposure to international art came through study trips to Germany in 1912 and to Paris between 1920 and 1922, where contact with André Lhote and the modernist milieu broadened his artistic perspective.

Throughout his career, Lindqvist worked across multiple genres and techniques. He produced portraits, landscapes, and folklife scenes, and also executed public commissions for murals and stained glass, including works for Vännäs church hall, Byske church, and Sollentuna chapel. His portrait of Prince Gustaf Adolf in 1939 brought him national recognition. Lindqvist’s art is deeply rooted in the landscapes and people of northern Sweden. With vivid color and expressive brushwork, he depicted rural laborers, timmerflottare, rallare, and forest workers in a manner reminiscent of Helmer Osslund’s regionalist tradition.

An active member of the artistic community, Lindqvist co-founded the Västerbotten Artists’ Club and participated in numerous exhibitions both locally and nationally. His works are represented in public collections including the Umeå Museum and the Gävle Museum.