Carl Kylberg (1878–1952) was an important and controversial figure in twentieth-century Swedish art. Though I can't find much information about him in English, here's an article in Swedish. Long before establishing himself as a painter—and under the influence of his friend Ivar Arosenius (subject of a future post)—Kylberg worked on a variety of illustration projects, including a few children's books I hope to see one day.
The auction house which handled the below watercolors dates them to 1906 and suggests they may be set design ideas for an abandoned stage version of Strindberg's novella Taklagsöl. (Kylberg had worked for Strindberg on another project that year.) University of Nebraska Press describes the book:
Published in Sweden in 1906...The Roofing Ceremony anticipates in its turbulent intensity the chamber plays Strindberg was soon to write. It is about a dying man, once an explorer but now a museum curator, who reviews his tumultuous life aloud as he drifts in and out of a morphine-induced sleep.
Who knows. Since the works were not intended for publication and have fallen far outside art history, I don't mind making up my own stories about the flying red dachshunds, luchador bees, perverted clowns, drunks, and Vikings.
Thanks for your help Grace!
detail
