Bruno Liljefors studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts from 1879 to 1882, when he traveled to Düsseldorf to focus on painting animals. Liljefors also spent time at the artists’ colony in Grez-sur-Loing, but later returned to Sweden where he painted animals, especially cats and small birds, and portrayed their relation to nature in small-scale format. The motifs are intended to be seen from above with high placement of the horizon. Liljefors’ painting subsequently transitioned to broader depictions of wildlife and nature, often portraying dramatic scenes between raptors and various quarry. In nineteenth century art, animal painting was considered to be a separate genre and Bruno Liljefors became one of its most prominent artists. In contrast to contemporary “idyllic” animal paintings, Liljefors painted animals in their natural setting where anatomy, movement, and their adaptation to the terrain was of central importance. Some of Liljefors’ best known works of art include the paintings “Rävfamilj” (Fox Family) from 1886 and “Havsörnar” (White-tailed Eagles) from 1897. Liljefors’ works are represented at venues such as Nationalmuseum, Waldemarsudde and the Thielska galleriet in Stockholm.
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