Bror Julius Olsson Nordfeldt (1878 - 1955) Sweden Watercolor on Paper Measure 15 1/2"in H x 10 1/2"in W and 20 3/4"in H x 17"in W with frame Known for: Modernist figure, landscape, still-life, print Name variants: B J O Nordfeldt, Bror JO Norfeldt, Julius Olsson Known variously as a post-impressionist or American expressionist painter, B.J.O. Nordfeldt worked in diverse styles and media, including etchings and prints, portraiture, still-lifes, and landscapes. Born Bror Julius Olsson in Sweden, Nordfeldt lived in Chicago, New England, Santa Fe, and ultimately in Lambertville, New Jersey. As a young man Nordfeldt sought creative ways to earn money from his art, illustrating magazines, painting camouflage for American ships during World War I, and, most importantly, producing prints and etchings. Nordfeldt invented a method of printing more than one color with a single impression. The young Nordfeldt also painted portraits of eminent people, including novelist Theodore Dreiser and economist Thorstein Veblen. In his mid and late career, Nordfeldt turned to semi-abstract painting, developing a stripped-down style. Interested in conveying the symbolic or emotional core of his subject, its "idea-bones," Nordfeldt strove for a flattening of form and distortion of space, creating stylized images. He chose subjects laden with emotional power, especially nature and religious scenes. Nordfeldt's profound spirituality dominated his late work.