John Bauer (illustrator)

Self portrait of John Bauer, 1908

Princess Tuvstarr (named after Carex cespitosa), painted in 1913, is perhaps Bauer's most notable work.

John Bauer (June 4, 1882 - November 20, 1918) was a Swedish painter and illustrator, best known for his illustrations of Bland tomtar och troll (Among Gnomes and Trolls).

Biography

John Bauer was born and raised in Jönköping with his two brothers, living in an apartment situated above their father's charcuterie, at the age of sixteen, he was admitted to a school in Stockholm to study art, two years later he entered the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts.

At the academy he met Ester, which whom he would marry 1906 and later embark on a year long trip to Germany and Italy to study art. Bauer's wife would later become the model for many of Bauer's paintings.

John Bauer died in the shipwreck of the Per Brahe steamer along with Ester and Bertil (Putte), his son of three years. The circumstances of Bauer's death has been considered slightly ironic as he was initially considering travelling by train, but was deterred by a recent train accident that occured a few months earlier in Getå.

Artistry

Bauer's early work was influenced to a large extent by Albert Engström and Carl Larsson, two contemporaries and influential painters.

Bauer's first major work was commissioned in 1904, when he was asked to illustrate a book on Lappland, not until 1907 would he become known for his illustrations of Bland tomtar och troll, the yearly fairy tale book, in which his most highly acclaimed works would be published in the 1912-1915 editions.

Bauer also produced a fresco, Den helige Martin (The Holy Martin), which can be seen in the Odd Fellows lodge in Nyköping.

Bauer's themes can be found in later works by the illustrators Arthur Rackham, Kay Nielsen and Brian Froud.

Modern day influence

• On the 100-year anniversary of John Bauer, the Swedish postal service made three, and later in 1997 four stamps with motifs from Bland tomtar och troll.
• A Scandinavian franchise of private schools has derived its name and some themes from John Bauer, naming its classes after his characters, for example.
• He is mentioned in Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman (DC Comics Modern Age).
• The visual look of the motion picture The Dark Crystal, by Jim Henson and Frank Oz was inspired by the art of John Bauer.

External links

• Template:Sv iconJohn Bauer Museum
• Pictures by John Bauer at Project Runeberg
• John Bauer at Bud Plant Illustrated Books
• Children's Book Illustrators Gallery - Large Archive of John Bauer's first edition illustrations