View source for Edvard Perséus

{{Short description|Swedish painter}}
[[File:Edvard Perséus - from Svenskt Porträttgalleri XX.png|thumb|185px|Edvard Perséus, from the ''Svenskt Porträttgalleri XX'']]
'''Edvard Perséus''', originally '''Persson''' (23 December 1841, in [[Lund]] – 7 October 1890, in [[Stockholm]]) was a Swedish painter and {{Lang|sv|hovintendent}} (a form of superintendent) at the [[Royal Court of Sweden]]. He specialized in historical and [[Genre art|genre]] scenes.
==Biography==
[[File:Självporträtt som jägare (Edvard Perséus) - Nationalmuseum - 154257.tif|thumb|left|195px|Self-portrait as a Hunter]]
He was born to a working-class family and originally worked as a commercial painter in Lund. During his apprenticeship, he decided to become an artist and took the name Perséus. His first lessons came from a local artist, {{ill|Magnus Körner|sv}}. In 1861, he was able to go to Stockholm and enroll at the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts]], where he studied with [[Johan Christoffer Boklund]]. He moved to [[Düsseldorf]] in 1867, then went to Munich and worked in the studios of [[Karl von Piloty]]. While there, in 1873, he married Agnes Claesson.
A scholarship enabled him to complete his studies in Italy and France. In 1875, he returned to Stockholm and opened a private painting school, which was very successful. His style was said to be informal; generally coming to class in slippers with a cigar in his mouth. He was apparently also quite talkative and often showed his students items from his collections of old books and engravings. In addition, he would try to interest them in painting his own favorite historical subjects, but anything was acceptable as long as it came naturally. He often behaved as a companion for his youngest students.
From 1879 to 1889, he received an artist's fee and a share of their tuition from the Royal Academy. He never subscribed to any reforms or protests about current teaching methods or styles. The key to his success was simple encouragement; believing that if you were honest and diligent and "if you were alive", you could learn to paint.<ref>''Svensk konst och Svenska konstnärer i nittonde århundradet II. Från Karl XV till sekelslutet'', Bonniers, Stockholm 1928</ref>
Among his best known students were [[Richard Bergh]], [[Oscar Björck]], [[Nils Kreuger]], [[Eugène Jansson]], [[Carl Fredrik von Saltza]], [[J. A. G. Acke]], [[Robert Thegerström]], [[Johan Tirén]], [[Johan Krouthén]], [[Axel Jungstedt]] and [[Karl Nordström]]. Most of them later graduated from the Royal Academy.<ref>Georg Nordensvan; ''Svensk konst och svenska konstnärer i nittonde århundradet'', Vol.1, pg.550, 1892, Albert Bonniers [https://books.google.com/books?id=GBpLAAAAYAAJ&dq=valhalla+stockholm+Pers%C3%A9us&pg=PA550]</ref>
[[File:Perseus-Nude.jpg|thumb|215px|Nude Model (1872)]]
In 1882, he was appointed {{Lang|sv|hovintendent}} and was responsible for King [[Oscar II of Sweden|Oscar]]'s art collection. His works may be seen at the [[Nationalmuseum]],<ref>[http://collection.nationalmuseum.se/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=artist&objectId=7541&viewType=detailView Nationalmuseum]</ref> [[Göteborgs konstmuseum]]<ref>[http://emp-web-34.zetcom.ch/eMuseumPlus?service=ExternalInterface&module=collection&objectId=8021&viewType=detailView Göteborgs konstmuseum]</ref> and the [[Waldemarsudde]]. He is buried at the [[Norra begravningsplatsen]].<ref>[http://www.svenskagravar.se/gravsatt/52550205 SvenskaGravar]</ref>
==References==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
*Perseus, Edvard. In: [[Hans Vollmer]] (Ed.): ''Allgemeines Lexikon der Bildenden Künstler von der Antike bis zur Gegenwart'', Vol. 26: Olivier–Pieris. E. A. Seemann, Leipzig 1932, {{p.|445}}.
==External links==
{{commonscat|Edvard Perséus}}
*[https://runeberg.org/sbh/b0276.html Biography] from the ''Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon'' @ [[Project Runeberg]]
*[http://www.artnet.com/artists/edward-perséus/ More works by Perséus] @ ArtNet
{{Authority control (arts)|country=SV}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Perseus, Edvard}}
[[Category:1841 births]]
[[Category:1890 deaths]]
[[Category:Swedish painters]]
[[Category:Swedish genre painters]]
[[Category:History painters]]
[[Category:People from Lund]]
[[Category:Burials at Norra begravningsplatsen]]