The son of an accountant and artist Arvid Ragnar Julius Svensson and Sofia Svensson, Sigvard showed an interest in painting from a young age and it seems likely that the Nordic artist August Berg mentored him. His father’s disapproval of his artistic career led Sigvard to study typography and then move to Canada from 1930 to 1935, where he led an adventurous life trying to support himself as a wood sculptor. The experiences he had in those years left an indelible mark on his painting.

 

On his return to Sweden, his activity intensified and in 1937 his paintings were exhibited in exhibitions in Östersund, Sundsvall and Stockholm. From that moment on, a series of solo and group exhibitions followed one another that launched him towards an intense artistic career. As intense as it was brief: the great successes achieved in 1940 in Stockholm brought no profound changes to his lifestyle, interspersing frenetic work with periods of agitation and heavy alcohol consumption. He was found dead, together with a male friend, in a Stockholm apartment in 1943.

 

Rune Sigvard, Self-portrait (taken from the Encyclopaedia of Swedish Artists of Allhem)

 

Despite his short career, he is recognized as one of the very few avant-garde artists in Northern Sweden. A self-taught artist, a romantic and bohemian spirit, his work ranged among several themes, including figures, floral still lifes, genre portraits, scenes of lumberjacks, wild landscapes, urban views and subjects inspired by literature. His short and tormented existence is reflected in his works, which are often dominated by melancholic atmospheres and intense emotional research.

 

In this Self-Portrait, the artist depicted himself with his face sculpted by the light and shade, using hues ranging from green to yellow and red, with a searching stare at the viewer. His reddish hair and white shirt stand out against the dark background, helping to bring depth to the composition. With his resolute painting style, this daring young artist offers us an intense image of himself here.

Painted in oil on jute canvas, this rough, unrefined support brings out the painterly gestures and expressive research of this Swedish artist. A work that is part of the Nordic Expressionist tradition, with a strong emphasis on interiority and emotional tension, combining influences from the Nordic tradition with elements of European Expressionism. His work shows the influence of Edvard Munch and other Scandinavian artists who explored the human psyche through colour and form.

 

His works are present in the collections of prestigious international museums such as:
Hälsingland Museum, the Östersund Museum and the Moderna Museet in Stockholm.