Pehr Eklund (1875–1943) - Motiv från Seine, 1912

Pehr Eklund (1875–1943) Sweden

Motiv från Seine, 1912

signed and dated
oil on panel
unframed 21 × 27 cm (8.3 × 10.6 in)
framed 31.5 × 37 cm (12.4 × 14.6 in)

Exhibited:
Lunds Universitets Konstmuseum, Pehr Eklund Exhibition, 2–21 February 1913, no. 43, “Motiv från Seine”, 1912

Provenance:
Swedish private collection

Essay:
Painted in 1912, Motiv från Seine captures a moment along the river in Paris where atmosphere, architecture, and nature merge into a luminous urban landscape. Pehr Eklund places the viewer near the water’s edge, allowing the broad surface of the Seine to occupy the foreground. The river is rendered with vigorous brushwork, where layers of green, blue, and grey are interwoven with touches of pale pink and cream. The paint is handled freely and with visible movement, conveying the shifting currents and reflections of light across the water.

Across the river the skyline of Paris emerges in softened silhouette. Architectural masses rise gently from the riverbank, their forms simplified into tonal blocks of blue and violet. At the right edge of the composition the Eiffel Tower appears as a slender vertical accent rising above the city. Rather than describing it in sharp detail, Eklund allows the tower to dissolve slightly into the atmospheric haze, suggesting distance and the filtered light of a late afternoon sky.

One of the painting’s most distinctive features is the branch that enters the scene from the upper left. Its thin limbs carry clusters of yellowing leaves that glow warmly against the cooler sky behind them. This foreground element introduces both colour contrast and spatial depth. The leaves appear almost suspended above the river, creating an intimate frame through which the viewer observes the city beyond. Their autumnal tones bring warmth to the palette and balance the cooler blues of the skyline and water.

Pehr Eklund belonged to a generation of Swedish painters who travelled to Paris to absorb the artistic developments of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Born in Lund in 1875, he combined his professional life with a sustained dedication to painting and developed a style that merged Scandinavian sensitivity to atmosphere with the freer brushwork associated with French plein air traditions. His works frequently feature expansive skies, luminous colour, and landscapes animated by shifting light.

In Motiv från Seine these influences are clearly visible. The painting does not attempt a detailed topographical record of Paris but instead captures the sensory impression of the river and its surroundings. Water, sky, and architecture are united through colour and atmosphere rather than strict description. The branch with its autumn leaves introduces a poetic element that softens the urban motif and connects the city to the natural world.



Condition report:
The painting appears in stable condition with minor age related wear consistent with an early twentieth century panel painting. The paint surface is well preserved and the colours remain fresh. The work is presented in a fine gilded frame.