Amanda Sidwall

Amanda Sidwall was a Swedish painter who studied in Paris in the 1870s and had works exhibited at the prestigious Paris Salon in the early 1880s. Born in Stockholm she, together with her sister Mathilda, began studying ornamental and figure drawing in 1860 at Slöjdföreningen (the Arts and Crafts School) in Stockholm. Sidwall then belonged to the first group of students to enroll at Fruntimmers-Afdelningen (the women’s department) of the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts, when it opened in 1864. Sidwall’s favourite teacher at the academy was Johan Christoffer Boklund (1817 - 1880, Swedish history, genre and portrait painter) but she also studied drawing for Johan Fredrik Höckert (1826 - 1866).

A few years after graduating (in 1870) she moved to Paris, where she stayed between 1874 and 1883; a period that would prove crucial for her artistic development. Together with fellow-student Anna Nordgren (1847 - 1916, another pioneer from Fruntimmers-Afdelningen), she continued her studies under Tony Robert-Fleury (1837 - 1911, French painter, known primarily for historical scenes. Also a prominent art teacher, with many famous artists among his students) at theAcadémie Julian in Paris (1874–77), developing a much freer style, as can be seen in her portrait of Mina Carlsson-Bredberg (1857 - 1943, Swedish painter, particularly well known for her portraits and scenes from contemporary life), painted in 1876 (when the portrait was included in the 1877 exhibition at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts the critics considered it to be one of the most interesting works on display, due to its expeditious brushwork and confident use of color).

During her time in Paris Sidwall earned good reviews and exhibited at the Musée du Luxembourg, where she sold two works, including Lecture intéressante showing a girl reading to an old man. She also had several paintings (like for instance La première lecon) accepted at the Salon in 1880 and 1882. Although she did not receive any awards, she was able to sell several works both privately and to the State. Birgitta Flensburg (Swedish art historian) writes the following about Sidwall’s time in Paris (Amanda Carolina Vilhelmina Sidwall, www.skbl.se/sv/artikel/Amanda Sidwall, Svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon, retrieved 2025-03-06):

Amanda Sidwall sent letters home to her family describing her student years in Paris and expressing her admiration for the historical painter Tony Robert Fleury, who was one of the instructors at the academy. He recognised her talent and encouraged her to submit her paintings to the Salon de Paris. This she did and subsequently her work was exhibited at the Salon many times. Her primary motifs were portraits and genre paintings, often including children. It was not just an honour to be selected for display at the Salon, it was also of financial significance. In 1877 she received praise for her first major painting entitled Högläsning which was deemed to display unusual bravura and freshness. The French government purchased two of her paintings, Lappflicka and Blomsterflicka. Her greatest success was achieved with her large painting entitled Den första läxan which had been accepted by the Salon de Paris in 1882. It was put on display and acquired by a wholesale merchant from Gothenburg. The last large painting she submitted to the Salon was Mormors födelsedag in 1883, and it too was purchased by a private Swedish individual. Her works were also sold to private French citizens. From 1879 onwards she had her own studio in Paris, but now and again she would visit the Académie Julian and undertake som teaching.

Although her surviving works, mostly portraits and genre paintings, reveal little about her personality, Sidwall’s letters to her family provide a fascinating insight into her life. In these letters, the picture emerges of a young woman with artistic ambitions. During her time in Paris, Sidwall orientated herself in the city, visiting shops and department stores. She also visited Versailles and walked in the Bois de Boulogne and was inspired by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo’s (1617 - 1682) work at the Louvre. Sidwall became part of an artistic circle with Swedes such as Hugo Salmson (1843 - 1894) and Carl Skånberg (1850 - 1883), and her life in Paris included ‘champagne, suppers and amusing excursions.’

In 1883, Sidwall returned to Stockholm as an established artist. She opened her own studio, where she also made a living teaching students. Primarily a painter of genre and portraits Sidwall often depicted herself (in several charming self-portraits) or used her family members and relatives as models. As pointed out by Flensburg ‘she used shiny light colours when painting her nieces and nephews’ and ‘her portraits were lauded for their inspired painting style and their vibrant expressions.’ This was a direct result of Sidwall’s decision, in Paris, to stop painting in brown hues and, instead, opt for pure colours and broad brushstrokes. Flensburg, again, writes: ‘She emphasised the use of pure colours in her teaching. She recommended that paint be applied in dabs and not thinned out too much by the brush’.

Sidwall exhibited her work at several exhibitions in Sweden and abroad, like the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts (1877 and 1889), the Norrland art society exhibition in Söderhamn and Sundsvall (1884 and 1885), the Valand exhibition in Gothenburg (1886), Sveriges Allmänna Konstförening (1888) and the Nordiska exhibition in Copenhagen (1888). Towards the end of her life commissions for portraits diminished in number. According to her artist friend Mina Carlson-Bredberg this was a result of her slow and thorough work rate. Sidwall’s life was, sadly, marked by an early death, from influenza, in 1892.

In 1911 her work was included as part of the historical section of the first exhibition arranged by Föreningen Svenska Konstnärinnor (Society of Swedish female artists), but her oeuvre was widely recognized first in 1942, when Nationalmuseum in Stockholm put on a show of her paintings to mark that 50 years had passed since her untimely death. Since the late 1980s Sidwall’s art has regularly been included in exhibitions of female artist’s like the popular shows De drogo till Paris. Nordiska konstnärinnor på 1880-talet (Liljevalchs Konsthall, Stockholm, 1988) and Salongsmåler?! (Prins Eugens Waldemarsudde, Stockholm, 2016).

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