Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - IV. Education and Mental Culture. Introd. by P. E. Lindström - 10. Fine Arts - Architecture. By [F. Sundbärg]; revised on the basis of information contributed by Ragnar Östberg, Carl G. Bergsten, and S. Curman
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
Below is the raw OCR text
from the above scanned image.
Do you see an error? Proofread the page now!
Här nedan syns maskintolkade texten från faksimilbilden ovan.
Ser du något fel? Korrekturläs sidan nu!
This page has never been proofread. / Denna sida har aldrig korrekturlästs.
48(5
iv. education and mental culture.
mediaeval churches, amongst them specially country churches in Uppland, are
adorned with beautiful and painted vaults, characteristic of later mediaeval work.
Of profane mediaeval architecture, Sweden has comparatively few remains;
amongst them may be mentioned the so-called Old Pharmacy in Visby, the Castles
of Vik in Uppland, and of Glimmingehus in Skåne. These, however, belong to
the transition period succeeding to the mediaeval. Wood architecture, which
preceded that of stone and existed side by side with it, obtained its peculiar
stamp from the different styles of log erections. Abundant relics clearly prove
that the "stave construction" was largely employed throughout Sweden in the
early middle ages. Only very few mediaeval remains of wood buildings have
survived to our time; one, however, is the "Ornässtugan" in Dalarne. ~
The Renaissance, like the preceding mediaeval styles of building, arrived
relatively låte in Sweden; it does not make its appearance till the second and third
decades of the sixteenth century, and is contemporary with the Reformation and
the political emancipation effected by Gustavus Vasa. If the Renaissance and
the introduction of Protestantism, in general, mark a removal of the architectural
centre of gravity from the religious sphere to the profane, this will especially
be the case in Sweden, where ecclesiastical property was confiscated to the
Crown, so that many a monastic building had to provide the stone material for
fortified castles erected by Gustavus Vasa and his sons. These castles, being,
partly continuations of mediaeval structures, partly completely new buildings,
are the characteristic edifices of the Swedish Renaissance. To the former
category belongs the Castle of Kalmar — an extensive and picturesque building,
among the decorative details of which the well especially is an interesting work
of art; also Gripsholm on Lake Mälaren — reconstructed during the Renaissance,
and enlarged also during the following centuries; it forms a complex of buildings
chiefly of brick, with an exterior extremely simple and bold, but containing
rich and picturesque interiors. Foremost among the new-built castles stands
the beautiful Vadstena on Lake Vättern. Unfortunately, the old Royal Palace of
Stockholm "Tre Kronor" ("Three Crowns") — also of mediaeval origin and perhaps
the grandest work of the Swedish Renaissance — was destroyed by fire in 1697.
The earliest Swedish Renaissance received its first impulses chiefly from
Germany and Holland; after them a purely Swedish school gradually evolved.
Distinctive features of the style are: — externally, a simple effect produced by
massiveness and relieved by solitary details, amongst which especially the portals
and the high, ornate gables are noticeable: and internally a decorative system,
by turns magnificent, and delightfully simple, often produced with the simplest
means.
The few churches erected during that period (the end of the sixteenth century)
are imitations of the Gothic style.
The wood architecture inherited from the Middle Ages was further developed
by the Renaissance; it employed boarding and oak shingle for facings and roofs.
Quite unique pieces of work are the belfreys of many country churches which
betray advanced constructive ability combined with an unaffected and delicate
sense of form. The same traditions are traced in sundry churches, e. g. Habo
in Västergötland (18th century), further, in many farmhouses, especially in
Dalarne, in the "Härbren" or store-sheds peculiar to that province, in the so-called
Björkvik Fatbur (store-shed), etc.
The Baroque style has three phases of development in Sweden. The first
covers the beginning of the seventeenth century and forms a somewhat modified
continuation of the Renaissance. To this epoch — that of the early baroque —
belong several handsome country-seats, as for instance Tidö, Läckö on Lake
Vänern, etc., as well as a number of palaces and houses in towns, which at that
time displayed a lively architectural activity. Characteristic of the period, also,
<< prev. page << föreg. sida << >> nästa sida >> next page >>
