Pehr Hilleström

Pehr Hilleström (18 November 1732 – 13 August 1816) was a Swedish artist. He served as a professor and director at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. [1]

Pehr Hilleström
Self portrait (belongs National Portrait Gallery, Gripsholm Castle)
Born	18 November 1732 Väddö, Roslagen, Sweden
Died	13 August 1816 (aged 83) Stockholm, Sweden
Nationality	Swedish
Known for	Painting, Tapestry weaving

File:In the Anchor-Forge at Söderfors. The Smiths Hard at Work (Pehr Hilleström d.ä.) - Nationalmuseum - 17964.tif

Biography

Hilleström was born on the island of Väddö in the district of Roslagen, Sweden where his uncle who was the vicar. He was the eldest of twelve children. He was first trained by landscape artist Johan Philip Korn (1727–1796). He received training at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts from artist Guillaume Taraval (1701–1750) and architect Jean Eric Rehn (1717–1793). Between 1757–1758, Hilleström made a study trip abroad. The journey went to Paris, Belgium and Holland. He furthered his education in the tapestry techniques and became a master tapestry weaver. [2]

From 1759, he operated a weaving workshop in Stockholm. In 1773, Hilleström became a member of the board of the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. The academy appointed him a professor in drawing in 1794. In 1805 he received the post of Vice-Chancellor of the academy and in 1810 he succeeded Louis Masreliez (1748–1810) as Director.[3] [4] [5] [6]

Style

Hilleström painted some thirty portraits. He also performed a large number of depictions from the environments of the time. He produced numerous genre paintings of people performing various daily tasks inside upper- and middle-class homes in Stockholm. Dresses and furniture were painted exactly the way they looked and provide a valuable source of information about what life was like in those days. In addition to this, he painted craftsmen in action at mills and other early industrial workplaces. In later years, he also began to paint historic paintings and religious motives.[2]

Personal life

In 1759 he married Ulrica Lode (1737–1779). Hilleström was the father of the artist Carl Petter Hilleström (1760-1812). His descendants included author and museum curator, Gustaf Hilleström (1911-1994).[2][7][8]

Gallery

• 
  People from Mora in Dalecarlia
• 
  A maid taking soup from a pot
• 
  Portrait of Carl Michael Bellman
• 
  Egg testing
• 
  Convivial Scene in a Peasant's Cottage
• 
  The enchanted forest, tournament at Drottningholm
• 
  Two Maid-Servants at a Brook
• 
  The Morning Toilet
• 
  Still Life
• 
  Gustavian Style Interior with Cardplayers, c. 1779

References

1. Gustaf Hilleström. "Pehr Hilleström". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
2. "Hilleström, Per". Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
3. "Johan Philip Korn". nationalmuseum. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
4. "Guillaume Thomas Taraval". Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
5. "Jean Eric Rehn (1717-1793), architect, Surveyor of the Court". wikidata.org. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
6. Åke Meyerson. "Louis A Masreliez". Svenskt biografiskt lexikon. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
7. "Carl Peter Hilleström". Svenskt biografiskt handlexikon. Retrieved March 1, 2019.
8. "Hilleström, Gustaf (1911-1994)". L’Abes. Retrieved March 1, 2019.

Other sources

• Pehr Hilleström in Nordisk Familjebok (in Swedish)
• Historiesajten.se (in Swedish)

Further reading

• Kruse, Hans; Winqvist, Margareta (1979). Pehr Hilleström. Sweden: Nationalmuseum. p. 39. ISBN 91-7100-159-X.