A Versatile Artist and Professor
Peter Christian Dahl, born in Oslo and active in Stockholm, was a prominent Swedish artist, graphic artist, sculptor and writer. He was marked by the war years of the 1940s and studied at the Academie Libre in 1957. Dahl had a significant role as a teacher at Gerlesborgsskolan in the 1960s and 1970s, as well as the main teacher of painting at Valand in Gothenburg between 1971 and 1973. He later became professor at the Royal College of Art during the years 1975-1979.
Dahl's artistry is characterized by an expressive realist style where clear colors and sensual figure compositions meet a critical perspective on the luxury of the upper class and middle-class environments. Inspired by Francis Bacon, he explored Medelsvensson's daydreams about the sweet life through a suite of images, where expressionism is clearly evident. Although Dahl did not come from a petty-bourgeois background, he was able to depict its daydreams with self-irony.
Peter Dahl continued to develop his artistry through theme painting and illustrated Fredman's Epistles in 87 pictures between 1981 and 1984. His art radiates self-irony and openness about his own life. Dahl was also a skilled graphic artist and is particularly known for his illustrations for Bellman's Fredman's Epistles. Over time, his style softened and took on Rococo elements, particularly noticeable in his dance and bacchanal motifs.
Peter Christian Dahl, one of the great artists of our time, leaves behind a significant and extensive artistic legacy, characterized by productivity, innovation and constant popularity.
