John Bauer
John Bauer was a Swedish artist and illustrator who lived from 1882 to 1918.
Bauer is most known for his work in Among Gnomes and Trolls, an anthology compiling Swedish folklore, illustrated by Swedish artists. It was first published in 1907. John Bauer illustrated the first four volumes, published annually between 1907 and 1910, and then the sixth through ninth volumes, published between 1912 and 1915.
Bauer was born in 1882 in Jönköping in south central Sweden to a Bavarian immigrant father and Swedish mother. As a child, he loved drawing and sketching. In 1898, at 16, supported by his family, Bauer moved to Stockholm to study art. He studied at the Kaleb Ahltins School for Painters until 1900, when he was accepted into the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. Bauer did well in school and started receiving commissions while still studying at the Academy, for landscapes, illustrations, and portraits. He graduated school in 1905.
Bauer had an interesting workflow for his large paintings. He would start them as a small sketch, and then redraw the image at increasingly larger scales, adding more detail with each new version. The final work would be large scale and incredibly detailed. Bauer would also redraw the same picture in both summer and winter scenes. He researched his art at the Royal Library and made sure to have accurate depictions of historical and period dress. This included the stone tools from the Bronze and early medieval ages, often seen in his folk tales.
In 1906, Bauer married fellow artist, Ester Ellqvist. She became his muse and was featured in many of his works. In 1907, he began on what would be his most famous works, the illustrations for Among Gnomes and Trolls. Volumes 1 through 4, published between 1907 and 1910 were illustrated solely by Bauer. These illustrations were only able to be reproduced using black and yellow. In 1911, Bauer decided to move on to different things. After a drop in sales, the publishers wanted Bauer back. He returned for volumes 6 through 9, published between 1912 and 1915. By 1913, Bauer was finally able to retain copyrights for his illustrations, and the color palette was expanded to include black, yellow, and blue.
Though Bauer was receiving commissions, he was still financially dependent on his father. His father financed a trip for the couple to go to Rome to study art. He was greatly inspired by the Renaissance artists. In 1914, Bauer and his wife bought a house just outside of Gränna. In 1915, their son was born. Though the couple were happy at this time, he decided to discontinue illustrating Among Gnomes and Trolls. The Great War (WWI) had broken out and Bauer’s view on the world became jaded.
Bauer, his wife, and their three-year-old son drowned during the night between November 19 and 20, 1918. They were traveling aboard the steamboat, Per Brahe, in Lake Vättern in south central Sweden, when they encountered bad weather. The ship capsized during the night, locking most people in their cabins. 24 people, including all passengers and hands on the ship, died. Bauer and his family were on their way to Stockholm. His wife had tired of the country and the couple had built a new home in the capital. Bauer had decided to avoid using the train, as there had recently been a terrible and highly publicized train accident.
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