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$Unique_ID{COW03459}
$Pretitle{441}
$Title{Sweden
On Sweden. Cultural Affairs}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Stig Hadenius and Ann Lindgren}
$Affiliation{Swedish Institute}
$Subject{sweden
swedish
church
cultural
century
newspapers
sports
broadcasting
countries
press}
$Date{1990}
$Log{Ingmar Bergman*0345901.scf
Vasa Race*0345902.scf
}
Country: Sweden
Book: On Sweden
Author: Stig Hadenius and Ann Lindgren
Affiliation: Swedish Institute
Date: 1990
On Sweden. Cultural Affairs
[See Ingmar Bergman: Courtesy Swedish Embassy, Washington DC.]
Are writer August Strindberg and filmmaker Ingmar Bergman typical of
Swedish culture? Were painter Anders Zorn and composer Wilhelm Stenhammar
successful because they had the ability to convey something specifically
Swedish?
The answer is both yes and no. All these men have used their artistic
talents to convey different dimensions of their native milieu. Examples are
Bergman's images of Faro, the Baltic isle just north of Gotland;
Strindberg's portrayals of the Stockholm archipelago; Zorn's pictures of ruddy
peasant women from Dalarna province; and Stenhammar's music inspired by the
west coast.
But at the same time, these bearers of Swedish culture have also worked
in an international setting, deriving inspiration from other cultures perhaps
as much as from Sweden. Strindberg's dramas are still being presented on
stages around the world because they reflect universally human relationships
with such power. To take another example, children's author Astrid Lindgren is
in many ways genuinely Swedish, but her writings also have a lot in common
with other cultures and milieus; characters like Pippi Longstocking can be
enjoyed by children throughout the world.
Cultural Heritage
Among the earliest Swedish historical artifacts are bronze-age rock
carvings from the period 1500-500 B.C. - relics of a culture of which we have
little knowledge. There are no written sources from this period, but the
pictorial images left on boulders tell of fertility rites and sun worship.
The first works of art that combined writing with pictures were the
runestones erected between 800 and 1100 A.D., during the Viking age. These
large, beautifully decorated stones often summarized whole life stories in a
few sentences. During this period, Sweden had extensive contacts with other
countries. This is clear both from the messages on the runestones and from all
the imported objects the Vikings left behind.
Swedish cultural history in the Middle Ages - as seen in buildings,
paintings and writings - is usually closely connected with the Catholic
Church. Thousands of churches were built, and the 13th century witnessed the
construction of Sweden's first monasteries. Many of these churches are still
standing, and their original sculptures and paintings survive.
During its 17th century interlude as a major military power, Sweden moved
closer to the mainstream of European culture. Artistic treasures - in some
cases the spoils of war - were imported and can be found even today in
Swedish palaces and country mansions, or in libraries and museums.
The 17th century was also a period when Swedish artists of international
caliber were at work. During the Carolinian period, the architects Nicodemus
Tessin the Elder and the Younger designed numerous monumental buildings that
still help define the Swedish milieu. The best-known examples are the Royal
Palace in Stockholm and the nearby Drottningholm Palace, where King Carl XVI
Gustaf and his family now have their private quarters.
The reign of Gustav III was a golden age in Swedish cultural history. It
witnessed the founding of a royal dramatic theater and a royal opera. Johan
Tobias Sergel gained international renown during his own lifetime for his
sculptures and drawings. Together with the Bacchanalian songs and ballads of
troubador Carl Michael Bellman, they have come to symbolize our image of late
18th century Sweden.
During the 19th century, the emerging middle class played a leading role
in art and literature. The many-faceted writings of Carl Jonas Love Almqvist
and August Strindberg - the latter a prolific novelist and essayist as well as
a playwright - are still part of Sweden's living literary tradition. The tales
and novels of Selma Lagerlof, which blend very Swedish motifs with the
exotic, are still widely read both in Sweden and abroad.
The receptiveness of Swedish art to ideas from other countries is
particularly evident in the works of visual artists. Almost without exception,
they have spent part of their working lives abroad.
In the late 19th century, the National Romantic movement rediscovered the
old peasant culture and evoked Swedish nature both in literature and visual
arts. But even in the early 19th century, there were Swedes eager to preserve
cultural artifacts that were threatened by the advent of a new era of rapid
material improvements and social change.
The ethnologist Artur Hazelius was thus harking back to an older
tradition when he founded Stockholm's Skansen outdoor museum in 1891. By
gathering examples of buildings and crafts dating back many centuries,
Skansen tried to demonstrate in a concrete way how Sweden had developed. Old
traditions in danger of disappearing were thus preserved for posterity.
One reason that Swedish art handicrafts and design have gained
international renown during the 20th century is that their practitioners have
succeeded in combining old national traditions with new trends from around the
world. Today their work in such media as glass, ceramics, textiles, graphics,
furniture and everyday industrial objects - often characterized by clean,
functional yet elegant lines - is admired in many countries.
The Role of the Public Sector
The Swedish public sector plays a larger part in cultural life than in
many other countries with market economies. One reason is that in a country
with a small population and long distances, it is difficult to provide
cultural amenities to everyone on a purely commercial basis.
In 1974 Parliament approved a number of cultural policy guidelines. These
include promoting freedom of expression, pluralism, decentralization and
people's right to cultural amenities regardless of where they live and what
social background they have. One practical result of the call for
decentralization is that taken as a whole, the municipal and county
authorities play a larger role in supporting cultural programs than the State.
The two national stages - the Royal Opera and the Royal Dramatic Theater
in Stockholm - receive public subsidies, as do the county and city theaters
and a number of independent drama and music troupes. Stockholm is said to have
more theaters than any other European capital, and their productions are
generally of high quality.
Nearly all professional theater, music and other cultural institutions in
Sweden are dependent on central and/or local government subsidies. Ticket
prices are relatively low. Although financing by means of commercial
sponsorship or private donations has grown in recent years, it remains at a
modest level.
The State-subsidized National Theater Center, Traveling Exhibitions
Service and Concert Institute produce and distribute cultural events
throughout the country in cooperation with local governments and private
organizations.
In addition to the professionals, amateur cultural activities are
widespread: they include more than 200 theatrical groups, 500,000 singers
belonging to 6,000 choirs and 40,000 musicians in 500 amateur symphony
orchestras and brass bands. All these groups are eligible for subsidies, but
most of their activities are voluntary and unpaid.
Libraries play a key role in Swedish cultural life. They serve as local
cultural centers. Library users not only borrow books free of charge, but
listen to music, attend study circles and lectures or participate in debates.
There are special p