Per Collijn - View of Slussen and Gamla Stan at Night, c. 1920
Regular price 0.00 krPer Collijn (1878–1961) Sweden
View of Slussen and Gamla Stan at Night, c. 1920
pastel on paper
signed lower right
unframed 27 × 36 cm (10.6 × 14.2 in)
framed 36.5 × 45.5 cm (14.4 × 17.9 in)
Essay:
This atmospheric night view depicts Slussen and the silhouette of Gamla Stan as seen from Södermalm, one of Stockholm’s most characteristic urban perspectives. The composition is defined by the interplay between darkness and artificial light, where the reflections of street lamps shimmer across the water, forming a rhythmic pattern of luminous points against the deep surface. The skyline, marked by the church tower and clustered buildings of the old town, is rendered with restraint, allowing the glow of the city to become the central focus.
Per Collijn was born in Stockholm in 1878, the son of the cartographer Gabriel Collijn. He studied at Tekniska skolan between 1897 and 1899 and later at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm from 1903 to 1904. His artistic education was complemented by study travels to several European countries, which contributed to a broadened visual vocabulary and an awareness of both historical and contemporary painting traditions.
Collijn’s work encompasses landscapes and urban views, often drawn from Stockholm, alongside a considerable number of copies after earlier masters such as Rembrandt, Anders Zorn and Kamke. During the 1910s and 1920s, he developed a more individual approach, including experiments with decorative techniques such as painting floral subjects in lacquer based media. This combination of academic grounding and technical curiosity characterizes his artistic production.
The present work belongs to his urban motifs, where Collijn demonstrates a particular sensitivity to light and atmosphere. Slussen and Gamla Stan, long central to Stockholm’s identity as a meeting point between waterways and districts, are here transformed through the effects of evening illumination. Rather than emphasizing architectural detail, the artist focuses on the visual experience of the city at night, where light, reflection and atmosphere define the scene.
Executed in pastel, the work achieves a softness that enhances the impression of transient light. The medium allows for both subtle tonal transitions and a certain immediacy, suggesting a direct response to the motif. The result is a composition that captures not only a specific place, but also a particular moment in time, when the city is animated by its lights and reflections.
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