Nils Nilsson Skum stands as a pivotal figure in the narrative of Sámi art, a man whose life and work are intrinsically woven into the cultural fabric of his people. Born into the nomadic traditions of the Sámi, Skum transcended his role as a reindeer herder to become an eloquent visual and literary voice, capturing the essence of a unique way of life with profound authenticity and artistic skill. His contributions extend beyond mere depiction; they are acts of cultural preservation, identity affirmation, and a bridge between the Sámi worldview and the broader world. This article delves into the life, art, and enduring legacy of this remarkable self-taught artist.
Early Life and the Seeds of Artistry
Nils Nilsson Skum was born on April 13, 1872. While some sources indicate his birthplace as Kautokeino in Norway (then part of the union of Sweden-Norway), he is primarily associated with Sweden, and his official nationality is Swedish. His family later moved, and he spent a significant part of his life in the Swedish part of Sápmi (Lapland), specifically in Jiirs sameby (a Sámi administrative and herding district) and later settling in Norrtumok, near Kiruna. His upbringing was steeped in the rhythms of reindeer pastoralism, a life dictated by the seasons and the needs of the herds. This intimate connection with the reindeer and the vast, often harsh, landscapes of northern Scandinavia would become the central motif of his artistic output.
Skum did not receive formal education in the conventional sense, let alone specialized art training. His schooling was the land itself, his teachers the elders and the accumulated wisdom of Sámi traditions. However, he was a keen observer and possessed an innate intellectual curiosity. He taught himself to read and write, skills that would later prove crucial for his literary contributions. His artistic journey reportedly began around the age of twelve. An anecdote tells of two English visitors, one of whom was a painter, who came to his family's dwelling. Observing the young Skum's father teaching him to draw, the visitor encouraged the boy's nascent talent, perhaps planting a seed that would flourish decades later. This early encouragement, however fleeting, may have validated an intrinsic pull towards visual expression.
The Cultural Tapestry: Sápmi and Duodji
To understand Nils Nilsson Skum's art, one must first appreciate the cultural milieu from which it emerged. The Sámi are the indigenous people of northern Europe, inhabiting the region known as Sápmi, which stretches across parts of present-day Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. Reindeer herding has historically been central to the Sámi economy and culture, providing sustenance, clothing, tools, and a deep spiritual connection to the land. This nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyle fostered a profound understanding of nature and a rich oral tradition.
A vital aspect of Sámi culture is duodji, the traditional Sámi handicraft. Duodji encompasses a wide range of utilitarian and decorative objects made from natural materials like wood, antler, bone, leather, and wool. These items are not merely functional; they are imbued with aesthetic sensibility, cultural symbolism, and a deep respect for materials. The intricate patterns and forms found in duodji reflect a sophisticated visual language developed over centuries. Skum's artistic sensibility was undoubtedly shaped by this rich tradition of making. While he adopted Western drawing materials, the meticulous detail, the understanding of form, and the narrative quality in his work can be seen as an extension of the duodji ethos.
An Unfolding Artistic Vision: Style and Technique
Nils Nilsson Skum's artistic style is characterized by a distinctive form of realism, marked by meticulous detail and an almost encyclopedic approach to his subject matter. He primarily worked with humble materials: pencil, charcoal, and chalk on paper. This choice may have been dictated by availability and portability, fitting for a life connected to herding, but he mastered these media to achieve remarkable effects.
A hallmark of his compositions is the bird's-eye perspective, or a high vantage point, allowing him to depict vast landscapes and extensive reindeer herds, often stretching far into the distance. This panoramic view gives a sense of the scale of the land and the magnitude of the herds, which could number in the hundreds or even thousands. Despite the complexity of these scenes, Skum maintained a remarkable clarity of perspective and a convincing sense of three-dimensional space. His depictions are natural and unforced, avoiding romanticized idealization while still conveying the inherent majesty of his subjects. He possessed an extraordinary ability to render individual reindeer with anatomical accuracy, even within massive herds, capturing their movement and character.
His drawings are not just snapshots but detailed narratives. They often illustrate specific aspects of reindeer herding: seasonal migrations, the marking of calves, encounters with predators, or the quiet moments of camp life. The human figures in his work, though often small in relation to the landscape and the animals, are depicted with dignity and purpose, engaged in the tasks essential to their survival and cultural continuity.
Masterworks and Literary Contributions
While many of Skum's drawings are significant, his most celebrated contributions are perhaps his illustrated books. In 1938, his seminal work, Same sita – lappbyn (The Sámi Village – The Lapp Village), was published. This book, a collaboration with the ethnographer Ernst Manker who helped compile and edit the material, featured hundreds of Skum's drawings accompanied by his own texts (translated from Sámi). It was a groundbreaking publication, offering an insider's perspective on Sámi life, traditions, and knowledge related to reindeer herding. The book was a monumental effort to document and share a way of life that was, even then, facing the pressures of modernization and assimilation.
The illustrations in Same sita – lappbyn cover a vast range of topics: the different types of reindeer, herding techniques, traditional dwellings (goahti and lávvu), clothing, tools, and the spiritual beliefs connected to the natural world. Skum's detailed drawings served as visual ethnography, preserving knowledge that might otherwise have been lost. Another significant publication was Valla renar (Guarding Reindeer), which further showcased his intimate knowledge of the reindeer and the mountain environment.
Among his individual artworks, Troupeau de rennes (Reindeer Herd) is a representative example of his skill. Executed in charcoal and chalk, this work (measuring approximately 26x35 cm) would typically display his characteristic panoramic view, capturing the dynamic movement and collective presence of a large reindeer herd. Such pieces are valued not only for their artistic merit but also as historical documents. He also produced a series of 98 illustrations specifically on herding life in collaboration with Ernst Manker, further cementing his role as a visual chronicler.
Exhibitions and Growing Recognition
Despite his remote location and lack of formal connections to the art world, Skum's work gradually gained recognition. A significant moment was the inclusion of his art in the Paris International Exposition of 1937, where it was exhibited in the Swedish pavilion. This international exposure brought Sámi art to a wider audience and highlighted the unique cultural heritage of the Sámi people.
His works were also exhibited in various Swedish institutions. The Nordiska Museet (Nordic Museum) in Stockholm, a key institution for Swedish and Nordic cultural history, recognized the importance of his work and holds examples in its collection. He was part of the "Folklore de Suède" exhibition connected to the Musée de l’Homme in Stockholm (likely referring to collections or exhibitions that would later be associated with or held at the Nordiska Museet or Ethnographic Museum). His drawing Fjälllandskap med renar (Mountain Landscape with Reindeer), dated 1940, was notably part of an exhibition at Bonniers Konsthall in Stockholm, a significant venue for contemporary art. These exhibitions helped to establish his reputation and underscore the cultural value of his artistic endeavors.
Skum in the Context of His Contemporaries
Nils Nilsson Skum was not working in a vacuum. While his style was uniquely his own and deeply rooted in Sámi experience, it's insightful to consider him alongside other artists, both Sámi and from the broader Scandinavian and European art scenes of his time.
Within the Sámi community, Johan Turi (1854–1936) is another foundational figure. Turi's book Muitalus sámiid birra (An Account of the Sámi), published in 1910, was the first secular book written in the Sámi language and also included his own drawings. Like Skum, Turi aimed to document and explain Sámi life. John Savio (1902–1938), a younger Sámi contemporary, was a trained artist known for his powerful woodcuts and drawings, often depicting Sámi life and reindeer with a more modernist and expressive sensibility than Skum's detailed realism. Together, Turi, Skum, and Savio are considered pioneers of Sámi art and literature, each contributing in their unique way to asserting Sámi cultural identity.
In the broader Scandinavian context, Skum's period of activity (roughly the first half of the 20th century) coincided with various artistic movements. National Romanticism had been a powerful force in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with artists seeking to define national identity through depictions of landscapes, folklore, and rural life.
In Sweden, artists like Anders Zorn (1860–1920) were celebrated for their vibrant depictions of Swedish rural life, landscapes, and portraits, often with a virtuoso technique in oil and watercolor. Carl Larsson (1853–1919) created idyllic images of Swedish family and country life that became iconic representations of Swedish identity. Bruno Liljefors (1860-1939) was a master of wildlife painting, capturing animals in their natural habitats with remarkable realism and dynamism, a focus on nature that Skum shared, albeit from a different cultural perspective.
In Norway, Edvard Munch (1863–1944) was a towering figure of Symbolism and early Expressionism, exploring profound psychological themes. While stylistically very different from Skum, Munch represents the intense artistic innovation occurring in Scandinavia. Harald Sohlberg (1869–1935) created evocative and mystical landscapes of Norway, imbued with a sense of stillness and national romantic sentiment. Theodor Kittelsen (1857–1914) was beloved for his illustrations of Norwegian fairy tales and his personifications of nature and trolls, deeply rooted in folk culture.
In Finland, Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865–1931) was a central figure in the Finnish National Romantic movement, famous for his illustrations of the national epic, the Kalevala. His work, like Skum's, was deeply tied to expressing a distinct cultural identity. Helene Schjerfbeck (1862–1946), another prominent Finnish artist, evolved from realism to a stark, modernist style, particularly known for her searching self-portraits.
From Denmark, Peder Severin Krøyer (1851–1909), one of the Skagen Painters, captured the light and life of the artists' colony in Skagen with a brilliant, impressionistic touch. While their subject matter and social milieu were different, these artists represent the diverse artistic currents of the Nordic countries during Skum's lifetime. Skum’s work, with its focus on a specific indigenous culture and its unadorned realism, stands apart from many of these mainstream movements, yet it shares with some of them a deep engagement with local identity and the natural environment. His art was less about aesthetic experimentation in the modernist sense and more about documentation, communication, and cultural affirmation.
Social Activism and Cultural Advocacy
Nils Nilsson Skum's contributions were not limited to his artistic and literary output. He was also an advocate for his people and their way of life. In an era of increasing encroachment on Sámi lands and pressures for assimilation into mainstream Swedish society, Skum's work served as a powerful statement of cultural resilience. By meticulously documenting traditional knowledge related to reindeer herding and Sámi customs, he was actively participating in the preservation of this heritage.
He is known to have engaged in discussions concerning Sámi land rights and the traditional practices, such as reinskogsbete (reindeer forest grazing), which were vital for the sustainability of reindeer herding. He understood the economic underpinnings of Sámi culture and reportedly called upon the government to provide economic support that would enable the Sámi to continue their traditional livelihoods. His efforts, therefore, can be seen as a form of cultural activism, using his skills to give voice to the concerns and aspirations of his community. His books, in particular, became important tools for educating both Sámi and non-Sámi about the richness and complexities of Sámi culture, fostering understanding and respect.
Enduring Legacy and Historical Impact
Nils Nilsson Skum passed away on December 27, 1951, at the age of 79. His death was a significant loss for the Sámi community and for the broader world of art and ethnography. His legacy, however, is substantial and multifaceted.
Artistically, Skum demonstrated that profound and compelling art could emerge from outside formal academic structures, rooted in lived experience and cultural heritage. He was a pioneer in combining traditional Sámi knowledge and aesthetics (the spirit of duodji) with the medium of drawing, creating a unique visual language. He provided an invaluable visual record of Sámi life at a time of significant social and economic change. His detailed depictions of reindeer, herding practices, and the Arctic environment are a rich resource for historians, ethnographers, and future generations of Sámi.
Culturally, Skum played a crucial role in the assertion of Sámi identity. His work helped to counter negative stereotypes and to promote a more nuanced understanding of Sámi culture. By committing his knowledge to paper, both in image and text, he contributed to the process of Sámi cultural revitalization. His books, especially Same sita – lappbyn, remain important cultural documents and sources of pride.
He inspired subsequent generations of Sámi artists. By showing that Sámi themes and perspectives were valid subjects for art, he helped pave the way for the flourishing of contemporary Sámi art that we see today. Artists like Iver Jåks, Aage Gaup, Britta Marakatt-Labba, and Rose-Marie Huuva, among many others, have continued to explore Sámi identity, history, and contemporary issues, building upon the foundations laid by pioneers like Skum.
His work continues to be exhibited and studied, ensuring that his voice and vision remain accessible. Collections in the Nordiska Museet and other institutions preserve his art for posterity, and his books are still valued for their rich content. Nils Nilsson Skum's life and art are a testament to the power of individual creativity to capture and convey the spirit of a people and their enduring connection to the land. He was more than an artist; he was a guardian of Sámi heritage, a storyteller in line and word, whose work resonates with authenticity and profound cultural significance.
