Carl Oscar Borg
Encyclopedia
Carl Oskar Borg was a Swedish
born, American
painter who was known for themes of the Southwestern United States
.
province, in Västergötland
, Sweden
. Oscar Borg moved to London
at age 15 to assist portrait and marine artist George Johansen. In 1901, he sailed for the United States. Borg taught art at the California Art Institute in Los Angeles and at the Santa Barbara School of the Arts
. He became a protege of American philanthropist and art patron Phoebe Hearst
. She gave him the opportunity to return to Europe to study art.
Borg was influenced by the nature of the southwestern United States, especially the states of Arizona
and New Mexico
. He worked in various mediums including oil, watercolor, etchings, and woodblock. He was commissioned to paint posters for the railway company, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
. His posters were put up on the company's sales offices and attracted attention. He was known for his dramatic paintings of the Grand Canyon
.
Borg was a founding member of the Painter's Club of Los Angeles and the California Art Club
.
He was one of the first art directors for a major movie studio in Hollywood. He worked with the production of silent films in the years 1925-1928. Examples of his art are on display at Brigham Young University
, Harvard University
, Smithsonian American Art Museum
and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
.
, the National Academy of Arts
, Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the Salmagundi Club
.
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
born, American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
painter who was known for themes of the Southwestern United States
Southwestern United States
The Southwestern United States is a region defined in different ways by different sources. Broad definitions include nearly a quarter of the United States, including Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Utah...
.
Biography
Carl Oscar Borg was born into a poor family in Grinstads parish, County of Älvsborg, DalslandDalsland
Dalsland is a Swedish traditional province, or landskap, situated in Götaland in southern Sweden. Lying to the west of Lake Vänern, it is bordered by Värmland to the north, Västergötland to the southeast, Bohuslän to the west, and Norway to the northwest....
province, in Västergötland
Västergötland
', English exonym: West Gothland, is one of the 25 traditional non-administrative provinces of Sweden , situated in the southwest of Sweden. In older English literature one may also encounter the Latinized version Westrogothia....
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Oscar Borg moved to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at age 15 to assist portrait and marine artist George Johansen. In 1901, he sailed for the United States. Borg taught art at the California Art Institute in Los Angeles and at the Santa Barbara School of the Arts
Santa Barbara School of the Arts
Santa Barbara School of the Arts was a college of art founded in Santa Barbara, California by artist Fernand Lungren in 1920. It closed in 1933....
. He became a protege of American philanthropist and art patron Phoebe Hearst
Phoebe Hearst
Phoebe Apperson Hearst was an American philanthropist, feminist and suffragist. She was also the mother of William Randolph Hearst.-Biography:...
. She gave him the opportunity to return to Europe to study art.
Borg was influenced by the nature of the southwestern United States, especially the states of Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
and New Mexico
New Mexico
New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...
. He worked in various mediums including oil, watercolor, etchings, and woodblock. He was commissioned to paint posters for the railway company, Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway
The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway , often abbreviated as Santa Fe, was one of the larger railroads in the United States. The company was first chartered in February 1859...
. His posters were put up on the company's sales offices and attracted attention. He was known for his dramatic paintings of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
.
Borg was a founding member of the Painter's Club of Los Angeles and the California Art Club
California Art Club
The California Art Club , founded in 1909, is one of the oldest and most active arts organizations in California. It celebrated its centennial in the spring of 2010. The California Art Club originally evolved from the Painters Club of Los Angeles...
.
He was one of the first art directors for a major movie studio in Hollywood. He worked with the production of silent films in the years 1925-1928. Examples of his art are on display at Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Smithsonian American Art Museum
The Smithsonian American Art Museum is a museum in Washington, D.C. with an extensive collection of American art.Part of the Smithsonian Institution, the museum has a broad variety of American art that covers all regions and art movements found in the United States...
and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, comprising the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum in Golden Gate Park and the California Palace of the Legion of Honor in Lincoln Park, is the largest public arts institution in the city of San Francisco and one of the largest art museums in California.-External...
.
Personal life
Borg was married to Lily Borg Elmberg. He was a member of the National Academy of DesignNational Academy of Design
The National Academy Museum and School of Fine Arts, founded in New York City as the National Academy of Design – known simply as the "National Academy" – is an honorary association of American artists founded in 1825 by Samuel F. B. Morse, Asher B. Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E...
, the National Academy of Arts
National Academy of Arts
The National Academy of Arts is an institution of higher education in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It is the oldest and most renowned academy of arts in the country....
, Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts and the Salmagundi Club
Salmagundi Club
The Salmagundi Club, also known as the Salmagundi Art Club, was founded in 1871 in Greenwich Village, Manhattan, New York City, New York, in the United States. It currently is located at 47 Fifth Avenue...
.
Other sources
- Widén, Albin Carl Oscar Borg; Ett Konstnarsode (Nordisk Rotogravyr. 1953)
- Laird, Helen Carl Oscar Borg and the Magic Region: Artist of the American West (Peregrine Smith Books. 1986)
- Schulz, Marlene R. Carl Oscar Borg: California Images (Santa Barbara Historical Society. 1990)
- Cuba, Stanley L. Carl Oscar Borg, Chronicler of the Southwest (Western Art Digest. 1986)
External links
- Carl Oscar Borg scrapbooks at the Smithsonian Archives of American Art
- Carl Oscar Borg Artist and Gallery web site
- Art Signature Dictionary, genuine signature by the artist Carl Oscar Borg Here are several examples of Carl Oscar Borg's signature.