GUSTAF WIKLUND. Valborg 1989 (Mariatorget), oil on panel, signed and dated -89 on verso.

Dimensions 50 x 70 cm

Gustav Wiklund told in pictures. As the film director and screenwriter he basically was, but perhaps primarily as an artist. His paintings are filled with color and stories, sometimes so many that the canvas does not seem to suffice. There is a strong belief in the painting's ability to convey emotions; in Wiklund's case, feelings of happiness and joy are often strikingly frequent. But it is far from straightforward painting; the sadness and loneliness lurk behind it.

Gustav Wiklund lived on Stockholm's south, overlooking Maria Church. Sometimes traces of this can also be seen in his pictures, as in “Valborg 1989” which takes place on Mariatorget. But more often his interest in jazz is reflected, as in “Ben Webster is on my balcony on 26/5 1990” or the lively “Naked Lady with Saxophonists”. Wiklund is no stranger to the burlesque humor -- but also not to the fine-tuned poetry; “Winter Night in the City” is an example of that.

Already in 1960 Wiklund participated at Liljevalch's spring salon and at the same time he studied at Konstfack. Then film and directorial work took over but he resumed painting, including with a successful solo exhibition at Galleri St. Nikolaus in the Old Town in 1989. In this themed auction we see many proofs of Gustav Wiklund's colourful, narrative painting.