Seashore and Sunset

Among the most beautiful of Strindberg’s paintings are those of solitary flowers on the seashore. Painted at Dalarö, south of Stockholm, in the summer of 1892, these delicate images capture the tranquillity of the landscape on a summer’s day, or subtly convey the characteristic Nordic light of a Swedish summer’s night.

Strindberg was a keen botanist, and he paints the flowers with a precision and finesse in marked contrast to the looser handling of the surrounding landscape. But the solitary flowers can also be read as symbolic self-portraits. Despite the fact that Strindberg was already famous, and enjoyed the company of fellow writers and artists, he still felt himself to be isolated. This interpretation is given a nice twist by the fact that Strindberg often chooses very unappealing plants: a spiky thistle, a poisonous toadstool, or a purple loosestrife, which is a pernicious weed. If these are self-portraits, then they are equivocal in the self-image they present.

In 1899, Strindberg moved back to his native Stockholm after years spent travelling abroad. Once again, he was able to spend his summers in the Archipelago. His final period of painting, from 1901-5, is characterised by some exuberant landscapes. In images like Sunset over the Sea, the strong bands of colour and the sharp horizon line create an impression of flatness. This was a period of intense productivity for Strindberg in the theatre, and these images are rather like stage backdrops, just waiting for the actors to step in front of them.