A Portrait of Gertrud Fridh as Medea, by Rolf Winquist Eva-Lena Karlsson Curator, Swedish National Portrait Gallery and Royal Castles Collections Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Stockholm Volume OM Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, Picture Editor Every effort has been made by the publisher to is published with generous support from the Rikard Nordström credit organizations and individuals with regard Friends of the Nationalmuseum. to the supply of photographs. Please notify the Photo Credits publisher regarding corrections. The Nationalmuseum collaborates with © Herzog Anton Ulrich-Museum, Braunschweig Svenska Dagbladet, Fältman & Malmén (p. NQ ) Graphic Design and Grand Hôtel Stockholm. © The Gothenburg Museum of Art/Hossein BIGG Sehatlou (p. NU ) Items in the Acquisitions section are listed © Malmö Art Museum/Andreas Rasmusson Layout alphabetically by artists’ names, except in the case (p. OO ) Agneta Bervokk of applied arts items, which are listed in order of © Wildenstein & Co., Inc., New York (p. OV ) their inventory numbers. Measurements are in © RMN Grand Palais/Musée du Louvre, Translation and Language Editing centimetres – Height H, Breadth B, Depth D, Paris/Hervé Lewandowski (p. PMF Gabriella Berggren and Martin Naylor. Length L, Width W, and Diameter Diam. © The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles – except for those of drawings and prints, which (Fig. QI p. PN ) Publications are given in millimetres. © RMN Grand Palais/Musée du Louvre, Ingrid Lindell (Publications Manager), Paris/René-Gabriel Ojéda (Fig. RI p. PN ) Janna Herder (Editor). Cover Illustration © Guilhem Scherf (p. PO ) Alexander Roslin ( NTNU ÓNTVP ), The Artist and his © Bridgeman/Institute of Arts, Detroit (p. PP ) Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum is published Wife Marie Suzanne Giroust Portraying Henrik © Musée des Arts décoratifs, Paris/Jean Tholance annually and contains articles on the history Wilhelm Peill, NTST . Oil on canvas, NPN ñ VUKR cm. (p. PQ ) and theory of art relating to the collections of Donated by the Friends of the Nationalmuseum, © RMN Grand Palais/Musée du Louvre, Paris the Nationalmuseum. Sophia Giesecke Fund, Axel Hirsch Fund (p. PR ) and Mr Stefan Persson and Mrs Denise Persson. © Accademia Nazionale di San Luca, Nationalmuseum Nationalmuseum, åã TNQNK Rome/Mauro Coen (Figs, SI NM and NO , Box NSNTS pp. NNQ ÓNNS ) ëÉ ÓNMP OQ Stockholm, Sweden Publisher © Mikael Traung (Fig. T, p. NNQ ) www.nationalmuseum.se Magdalena Gram © Stockholm City Museum (p. NOP ) © Nationalmuseum and the authors http://www.stockholmskallan.se/Soksida/Post/?n Editor id=319 ISSN OMMNJVOPU Janna Herder © Stockholm City Museum/Lennart af Petersens (p. NOQ ) Editorial Committee © http://www.genealogi.se/component/ Mikael Ahlund, Magdalena Gram, Janna Herder, mtree/soedermanland/eskilstuna/ Helena Kåberg and Magnus Olausson. a_zetherstroem_/22850?Itemid=604 (p. NOR ) © http://www.genealogi.se/component/ Photographs mtree/bohuslaen/marstrand/robert-dahlloefs- Natinalmuseum Photographic Studio/Linn atelier/22851?Itemid=604 (p. NOT ) Ahlgren, Erik Cornelius, Anna Danielsson, Cecilia Heisser, Bodil Karlsson, Per-Åke Persson, Sofia Persson and Hans Thorwid. ~ÅèìáëáíáçåëL~ éçêíê~áí çÑ ÖÉêíêìÇ ÑêáÇÜ ~ë ãÉÇÉ~ A Portrait of Gertrud Fridh as Medea, by Rolf Winquist Eva-Lena Karlsson Curator, Swedish National Portrait Gallery and Royal Castles Collections qÜÉ éÜçíçÖê~éÜÉê Rolf Winquist (NVNM ÓNVSU ) was the director for many years of the popular studio Ateljé Uggla in Stockholm. Best-known for its portraits, Stockholmers flocked here to have their RM -year-olds, wedding couples and tiny tots immortalised. The display window on Kungsgatan attracted both professionals and amateurs. Several generations of pho - tographers sought out Winquist, but he did not offer any formal classes. Instead, his young assistants learnt through practi - cal work. For instance, Hans Gedda relat - ed how he would enter the studio after Winquist had left, to examine his settings and how he had positioned the lights and camera, etc. Although the Swedish Na - tional Portrait Gallery already had works by several prominent photographers who have been employed at Ateljé Uggla (in - cluding works by Hans Gedda and Hans Hammarskiöld), there were no works by Winquist himself. Therefore, the acquisi - tion this year of one of his portraits of Gertrud Fridh is especially noteworthy. Rolf Winquist ( NVNM ÓNVSU ), Portrait of Gertrud Fridh ( NVON ÓNVUQ ), as Medea, NVRN . Gelatin silver photograph, PS ñ OUKR cm. Purchase: J. H. Scharp Fund. Nationalmuseum, Swedish National Portrait Gallery, åãÖêÜ QUVQK RP Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Stockholm Volume OM OMNP ~ÅèìáëáíáçåëL~ éçêíê~áí çÑ ÖÉêíêìÇ ÑêáÇÜ ~ë ãÉÇÉ~ Like many others, Winquist became inter - in the stage production of August Strind - go to photos of the opera singer Maria 1 ested in photography in his youth. In the berg’s play To Damascus in NVTQ . Gertrud Callas’ interpretation of Medea for the NVNM s and NVOM s, pictorialism was a major Fridh was usually intense in her interpreta - stage, or Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film from trend in Swedish photography. Photogra - tions. Her large, soulful eyes contributed to NVSV . phers such as Herman Hamnqvist, Ferdi - this, especially on film, with its potential for The acquisition of this portrait of nand Flodin and Henry B. Goodwin want - close-ups. Gertrud Fridh as the raging Medea has en - ed to improve the status of photography Rolf Winquist executed a series of por - riched the National Swedish Portrait and to have it recognised as an art form. traits of Gertrud Fridh as Medea the year Gallery with one of Rolf Winquist’s most Winquist was not apprenticed to any of she played this part in Bergman’s radio powerful works. these, however, but attended the Slöjd - drama. They differ radically in character föreningen (a crafts college) in Gothen - from his equally suggestive but usually ele - Notes: burg, and later studied for the portrait pho - gant, aloof portraits of women. The tragic NK Rolf Winqvist’s life and work are summarised tographer David Sorbon. Around NVPM , role as Medea, the Greek princess who is in Rune Hassner, Minnesutställning – bilder ur Winquist’s works began to appear in vari - betrayed by Jason the Argonaut and has fotograf Rolf Winquists produktion under trettioåtta år, ous publications. In the NVPM s, he worked her own children killed, is characterised by exh. cat. Liljevalchs Konsthall, together with the for several studios, and as the official pho - incredibly strong feelings. In these por - Association of Swedish Professional Photogra - tographer on the Swedish American Line’s traits, Winquist has captured Fridh’s inter - phers and the Friends of Fotografiska Museet, ships Gripsholm and Kungsholm . He also de - pretation of Medea, with its combination Stockholm NVTM . The information on Winquist’s veloped an interest in street photography of smouldering rage and bottomless de - education and the rough outline of his career are in those years, a genre he continued to pur - spair. Here we find the entire range from from this publication. sue parallel with portrait photography wild fury to the collapse after her total de - OK Jean Anouilh’s Medea was published in his throughout life. Whereas his later street feat. Some of the portraits are dominated Nouvelles pièces noires: Jézabel; Antigone; Roméo et pictures are more documentary, his earlier by violent gestures. In the photo that the Jeannette; Médée, Paris NVQS . Médée is based on work demonstrates a greater social pathos. Swedish National Portrait Gallery has now both Euripides and Seneca. Anouilh’s version, The contrasts were enormous between the acquired, Medea’s fury has passed the however, is only loosely based on the classical elegant passengers on the liners and the phase of violent wrath and is locked into dramas – see Charles R. Lyons, “The Ambiguity impoverished, outcasts on the streets of self-destructive, introverted anguish. Her of the Anouilh ʻMedea”, in The French Review, Leningrad. arms are wrapped tight around her body. published by The American Association of Before Winquist ended up at Ateljé Her mouth has stiffened into an aggres - Teachers of French, vol. PTI No P (January), Uggla, where he stayed for nearly PM sive, almost bestial grin with teeth bared. Champaign NVSQ , p. PNOK years, he worked for some time with Åke Her eyes are filled with hatred. They stare Lange. Around NVQMI the portraits by the into the distance but she is blinded with two photographers, who were roughly of unfathomable fury. Medea/Fridh is locked the same age, were stylistically very simi - into eternity in her never-ending, raging lar, with suggestive lighting, and contours desolation. that were often soft. Later, in the NVRM s Exceedingly few female portraits reveal and NVSM s, Winquist progressed towards an aggressive intensity such as that which stronger, clearer light and sharper lines. Winquist and Fridh together have In NVRN , the director Ingmar Bergman achieved in this interpretation of the rav - made a production of the French writer ing Medea. On the whole, expressions of Jean Anouilh’s Medea for Swedish Radio. 2 anger are rare in portraiture. When they The female lead was played by Gertrud do appear, they are usually associated with Fridh ( NVON ÓNVUQ ), and Anders Ek played male subjects, such as military men. In his - Jason. Fridh was an actress with a broad tory painting and in role portraits, Medea repertoire in both tragedy and comedy, but has been an intriguing figure for artists is now mainly remembered for her roles in wanting to represent strong emotions. In Bergman’s stage dramas and films. Her first many of these works, Medea is shown as major film role was as the variety singer in guileful, despairing or seductive, rather the Bergman tragedy A Ship to India from than furious. To find an expression as in - NVQT , and her last role for the director was tense as that in Winquist’s picture, we must Art Bulletin of Nationalmuseum Stockholm Volume OM OMNP RQ.