ELSA CELSING. Oil on canvas, signed E. Celsing.

"Men's Study No 91". Approx. 65x54 cm (frame dimensions 69x58 cm).

Elsa Carolina Celsing, born Backlund on March 25, 1880 in Pulkovo, Russia, and died on April 19, 1974 in Västerås, was a Swedish artist. She grew up in Russia and Saint Petersburg, but attended a Swedish school in Strängnäs until the age of fifteen. She trained in art in various places, including Saint Petersburg under the tutelage of artists Jan Ciągliński and Ilja Repin. She also had private lessons from Anders Zorn and studied for a time in Paris under Eugène Carrière.

Elsa Backlund Celsing grew up and was educated in Russia, but was active as an artist in Västerås for most of her career. She supported her family by painting commissioned portraits. However, it was her early large paintings from the beginning of the 20th century that attracted attention internationally, including in cities such as Saint Petersburg, Paris and San Francisco.

Her art is represented in places such as the National Museum in Stockholm, the portrait collection at Gripsholm Castle, Värmland Museum, Västerås Art Museum (where there are 53 works in the collection), as well as at the Russian Museum in Saint Petersburg, the Pulkovo Observatory and with a work in Dnipro, Ukraine .

In summary, Elsa Backlund Celsing's art can be described as varied and versatile, with a focus on portrait art, but also including other motifs such as interiors and landscapes. Her work was characterized by a strong sense of color and influence from various artistic influences. Her artistic career spanned different stages of her life, and she managed to create works of art that not only captured people's faces, but also their characters and destinies.