Stockholms ström

Prins Eugen "Stockholms ström" 1936

By Staffan Alsparr

Bio/background:

Prince Eugen (1865-1947) was both a member of the royal family of Sweden and a professional painter. On the one hand, this made him financially independent, but on the other, the many official responsibilities and expectations of him limited his freedom to focus on his art and to live according to his progressive ideals. This was to be a life-long struggle, but when he did manage to carve out some time for painting, landscapes were his favorite subject, throughout his whole career. From the early romantic forests and cloudscapes to the somber murals of his later years, such as the one represented here at SSE. He depicted vistas from around Stockholm, and Tyresö where he frequently spent his summers, but also from places throughout Italy. After his death, his residence Waldemarsudde on Djurgården was opened to the public and turned into an art museum. It has been expanded and rebuilt to be able to host larger exhibitions, but the environment that the prince cultivated and thrived in has also been preserved, and is possible to experience even today, with its rich gardens and interiors celebrating beauty, featuring works by many of his contemporary artist colleagues, who he befriended and supported.

History:

The mural was executed for the building at Holländargatan 32–34 at a time when it was used by student unions from both SSE and Stockholm University. When SSE finally bought it in 1986, the renovations that were undertaken included a restoration of the painting and a subsequent renaming of the common room holding it into "The Prince's Gallery". That, incidentally, is also the name of a gallery in the Stockholm City Hall, where the prince has painted another one of his murals, similarly themed but different in composition and color.

An impression:

In a brightly overcast day of early spring or fall, we stand with the artist in Gamla stan ("Old Town"), looking out over the inner harbor of Stockholm. The view is very similar to what can be seen from the same point today, ninety years since the painting was executed, featuring iconic buildings such as the National Museum to the left and the facades of Strandvägen in the background. To the right are what used to be storage houses in the prince's day, but which now house the Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities. The main actors of the scene, however, are all the boats going about their daily business. Not a single human being is visible in the painting and yet we feel the hustle and bustle of human life. The boats almost seem to substitute people, expressing individuality and personality in themselves with their various shapes and sizes. Similarly, the trees on Skeppsholmen to the right, seem to relish in their variety, dancing rhythmically across the cliffs of the island. The trees along Strandvägen, however, look like they are waiting in line, or perhaps enjoying the view, much like we do from the other side of the harbor.

There is a lot of movement in the scene, but then, dominating the centre, we find the statue of the old king Gustav III, frozen in his step. His gesture seems to be one of offering something, perhaps inviting us to enjoy this view of the city. One contemporary critic saw the figure as representing the bright and festive era of the 18th century poet Bellman. The same critic noted that the painting seems to exude distinct smell of brackish water of the Stockholm inner harbor. In that way, it is a reminder of the very local placement of SSE, in the school's global outreach and interconnectedness.

The painting's matte surface harmonizes with its pastel tones. The overall color-chord resounds between the ochre of the stonework and the blue of the waters. The same tones are collected in the flag hanging from the aft of one of the boats, turning it into something of a mirror, or distillate of the whole, perhaps. It is interesting to note, finally, how the painting harmonizes with the light coming in through the wide windows of the room and the vegetation in the park outside, lending the room an air of tranquility.

Sources:

https://runeberg.org/ordochbild/1936/0029.html

"Stockholm School of Economics. The First 100 Years"