Swedish Arts & Music
A walk through the art history of Sweden from its ancient rock carvings to the present day.
Prehistoric Art of Sweden
Sweden’s art history begins long before the emergence of a Swedish culture. Its original artists worked with stone; their earliest surviving petroglyphs date back to about 1700 BCE. This rock art provides an almost unprecedented glimpse into the daily life of Stone and Bronze Age people. Sites like Tanum reveal ancient humans hunting, sailing, and farming, much like they had and would for thousands of years.
Swedish culture developed from Nordic roots, which first recognizably appears during the Swedish Iron Age. Rune stones, typically erected in memory of the dead, grew widespread between the 4th and 11th centuries. These rune stones showcased the classic Viking art style of interlacing animals and natural imagery.
Swedish Medieval Art
The medieval period of Swedish art can be broadly divided between its Nordic and Christian eras. The early centuries, between the 8th and 11th centuries, were dominated by Viking art acquired through trade, plunder, and local craftsmanship. The Vikings were especially known for their ornate metalworking, working with the same interlace styles seen on older rune stones. Rune stones, the majority of which can be found in modern Sweden, reached their artistic high point in the 10th and 11th centuries. The increasing presences of crosses on these stones offer quiet testimony to the spread of Christianity in the region. The religion brought with it new art forms. Architecture, illuminated manuscripts, and religious sculpture all developed in Sweden at this time.
Religious art remained the primary form of expression in Sweden for the next 400 years. The forming kingdom drew particular influence from Gothic architecture and art. Perhaps the most famous example of Gothic Swedish art is the wooden statue of St. George and the Dragon found in Stockholm’s Storkyrkan. Bernt Notke completed the work in 1489 and was also famous for his tapestries and paintings.
The Renaissance in Swedish Art
The 16th century saw Sweden transformed into a Protestant, hereditary monarchy. Unlike much of Europe, the Reformation in Sweden was a relatively peaceful transition. Artwork and churches from the Catholic period have therefore survived in many areas. Lutheranism and Renaissance ideals encouraged a more secular approach to art. King Gustav Vasa, the founder of modern Sweden, began commissioning portrait paintings of himself and his family. The nobility followed, leading to several centuries of artistic patronage within the kingdom.
From this point on, Swedish art came to mirror that of Europe as a whole. The nation took especial influence from the French, including a fondness for Rococo and Romantic styles. The late 19th century marked a new high point in Swedish art through painters like Anders Zorn, Carl Larsson, Eva Bonnier, and Bruno Liljefors. These artists created some of the most popular works of their day and formed the foundation of modern Swedish art.
Swedish Folk Music
Sweden’s folk music has existed since ancient times, but it only began to be documented around the 19th century. The fiddle, adopted in the 17th century, became the primary instrument used by the peasants. Other common instruments included the nyckelharpa and accordion. The two major folk music forms of Sweden are its ballads and kulning, a woman’s art used to call in cattle and other herd animals. Sweden’s most well known dance is the Polska, a group and couples’ dance likely inspired by those of Polish courts.
Modern Art of Sweden
Today, Sweden is a nation known for its contributions to the arts and music. Modern Swedish artists work in any number of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, and digital arts. Its musicians may continue to explore and revitalize folk genres or branch out into pop, rock, electronic, hip hop, jazz, and metal, among many others. The nation’s most famous global band is likely ABBA, a pop sensation in the 1970s. Swedish design principles have also carried over to the commercial sector, particularly through international companies such as IKEA.
Learn More About Swedish Culture:
Cultural Overview | Geography | History | Daily Life | Society | Economy | Beliefs | Arts & Music
References
Fredriksson, Joan. “The Evolution of Swedish Folk Music.” The Evolution of Swedish Folk Music, Swedish Press, 8 Jan. 2016, www.swedishpress.com/article/evolution-swedish-folk-music.
Kane, Njord. The Vikings: The Story of a People. Spangenhelm Publishing. 2015.
Kent, Neil. A Concise History of Sweden. Cambridge University Press. 2008.
Magnusson, Lars. An Economic History of Sweden. Routledge. 2002.
Myrdal, Janken and Mats Morell, eds. The Agrarian History of Sweden: 4000 BC to AD 2000. Nordic Academic Press. 2011.
Price, Theron Douglas. Ancient Scandinavia: An Archaeological History from the First Humans to the Vikings. Oxford University Press. 2015.
Sawyer, Birgit. The Viking-age Rune-stones: Custom and Commemoration in Early Medieval Scandinavia. Oxford University Press. 2000.
Scott, Franklin Daniel. Sweden, the Nation's History. SIU Press. 1988.
Skoglund, Peter. Rock Art Through Time: Scanian rock carvings in the Bronze Age and Earliest Iron Age. Oxbow Books. 2016.
Sprague, Martina. Sweden: An Illustrated History. Hippocrene Books. 2005.
About TOTA
TOTA.world provides cultural information and sharing across the world to help you explore your Family’s Cultural History and create deep connections with the lives and cultures of your ancestors.
