Gustaf Reuter

Gustaf Reuter (30 January 1699 – 27 April 1783) was a Swedish soldier and folk artist.

Reuter was known for the decorative painting of entire room interiors, usually with biblical motifs or horsemen, in Delsbo and surrounding parishes. He was also a church painter, employing colorful Baroque patterns and flower ornaments. Considered among the foremost folk artists in the country, he is the most well known artist of the Helsingian style. He is represented at Skansen in Stockholm and the Hälsingland Museum in Hudiksvall.

Biography Since 1935 Reuters birthplace has wrongly been traced to Värmland. Court records show that he was the son of priest's daughter Margareta Andersdotter Lebestadia in Himmeta, Västmanland (born 1677). Lieutenant Gustaf Gustafsson Reuter af Skälboö (1669–1732), who was claimed to be the father was already married and denied fatherhood, but eventually lost the case in November 1699 at the municipal court in Köping.

According to church records Gustaf Reuter would spend some of his early years at the clergy house in Himmeta, and stayed in Delsbo parish from around 1718. His most well known apprentice was Erik Ersson, whose style is directly reminiscent of Reuter's. A complete interior by Ersson is displayed at the Hälsingland Museum. Reuter's son Carl Roth is considered a member of the school as well. A third member was Anders Ferm from Västansjö, who probably contributed to the interiors at Delsbo Forngård. Enumerated influences to the Delsbo School include gothic, renaissance and baroque. Reuter became influential, but his style was hardly innovatory as there are clear predecessors within the tradition. A similar style was popular in the Bjuråker parish during the early 18th century and there are many commonalities with the Voxna valley style of the 16th and 17th century.

Among the active 18th century painters in Hälsingland, Gustaf Reuter and his associates are responsible for a significant portion of the total number of preserved works. Their style has been discovered in almost a dozen parishes i northern Hälsingland. Several works are preserved in the collections of the Hälsingland Museum and the Nordic Museum. Complete interiors are on display at Bjuråker Forngård, Delsbo Forngård, Forsa Forngård and in the Delsbo farmhouse at Skansen.

The Delsbo farmhouse at Skansen

Skansen bought the main building from the Karls farmhouse in Tjärnmyra in Delsbo parish in 1927. Since the building itself turned out to be in awful condition, only decoratively painted rolls of linen weave were recovered from the main hall. They were eventually re-used to decorate the 'Västerängsstuga' at Skansen's Delsbo farmhouse. The ceiling planks boast painted ornaments and angels in Reuter's style, completed in 1773.

For a long time, the wall decorations were also considered the work of Reuter, but there are traces of a stencil known to belong to Erik Ersson. There are also stylistic clues suggesting that they are actually the work of Ersson.