215. AXEL PETER. Study of man in profile, oil on canvas laid on masonite 35.3 x 24.7 cm.

AXEL PETER (1863-1942) Study of man in profile Signed and dated Ax Peter / sketch - 87.
Oil on canvas laid on masonite, 35.3 x 24.7 cm.

Gilded and ornamented original frame Axel Peter is above all known for his depictions of Stockholm and still lifes. Peter's actual life's work, however, can be considered his production of portraits of contemporary, remarkable personalities, e.g. a. Oscar II and Alfred Nobel. Purely artistically, his best production is in the works from the 1880-90s.

Axel Peter, originally Petersson, studied at the Art Academy 1881-83, then with Edvard Perséus in his painting school in the studio Valhalla on Mäster Samuelsgatan founded in 1876. Among Perséus' students were Richard Bergh, Oscar Björck, Nils Kreuger, Eugène Jansson, J. A. G. Acke, Karl Nordström, Johan Krothén and Anselm Schultzberg. The majority of these then transferred to the Academy. When Perséus was appointed court inspector in 1882 and became responsible for Oscar II's art collections, he handed over the school to Axel Peter, who ran it until 1892. Peter belonged to the opponents in 1885 and participated in most of the opponents' and the association's exhibitions. He became a member of the Artists' Club in Stockholm in 1891 and the Swedish Artists' Association in 1892.

The virtuosic execution of the current portrait shows similarities with Anders Zorn's painting in several respects. During the first years as an artist, Zorn painted almost exclusively in watercolor. It is only in 1887 that he takes up oil painting seriously. Together with Edvard Perséus, Zorn organized the Artists' Association's autumn exhibition at Blanch's art salon in Stockholm in 1888. He appeared there for the first time for the Swedish public as an oil painter. In technical terms, it is entirely possible that Zorn was inspired by Perséus' oil studies and this close associate Axel Peter.