DescriptionThis painting shocked critics and audiences when it was shown at the Paris Salon in 1884. The merciless light from the skylight of the studio and the semi-dressed model were something completely new. The painting depicts an everyday scene from the artist’s own life, capturing for the viewer a brief moment following a sitting for a painting. The contemporary audience was shocked by the realisation that Bergh would have been alone in his studio with the young woman naked in front of him without them being married. Bergh choosing to depict himself holding a violin, rather than with the attributes of an artist, such as brushes or a palette, still leads to questions from visitors today.
Like many other Nordic artists in this period, Bergh had travelled to Paris to study art. He was strongly influenced by the new Realism in painting and became a prominent figure in the Swedish art world for a long period thereafter. Not only an artist, Bergh also taught at the Artists’ Association’s school of painting, wrote about art and worked as director of Nationalmuseum in Stockholm.ExhibitionsRes Publica, Museum Sönderjylland, AABENRAA, 15.06.2024 - 01.12.2024
Samlingen - The Collection, Malmö Konstmuseum, våning 2, 12.06.2021
Excellensen, kvinnor och franska influenser, Säfstaholm slott, 01.05.2015 - 15.09.2015
Nordic Art: The Modern Breakthrough, Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung, München, 30.05.2013 - 30.10.2013
Nordic Art: The Modern Breakthrough, Groninger Museum, Holland, 08.12.2012 - 30.05.2013
Google Art Project, Internet, 01.01.2012
Med en annan blick - Modernismen, Malmö Konstmuseum, Konstgalleriet, 07.02.2010 - 30.05.2010
I Love Malmö, Kumu Art Museum, Tallinn, 10.09.2009 - 10.01.2010
Visions du Nord: La peinture scandinave, 1780-1920, Fondation de l`Hermitage, Lausanne, Schweiz, 28.01.2005 - 22.05.2005
Richard Bergh, Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, Stockholm, 20.04.2002 - 01.09.2002
Impressions de France: franska influenser i svenskt måleri vid 1800-talets slut, Säfstaholm Slott, Vingåker 1/5-15/9-1999, 01.04.1999 - 11.10.1999
Richard Bergh, Millesgården, Stockholm, 24.08.1995 - 08.10.1995
Richard Bergh, Aguéli Museet, Sala, 19.05.1995 - 30.07.1995
Från 1500 till Nu, Malmö Konstmuseum, 2:a våningen
Nordic Art: The Modern Breakthrough 