Sweden's Bruno Liljefors was perhaps the world's greatest painter of wildlife and, in turn, a major influence on most of today's foremost wildlife artists. His keen observations, expressed in an inspired impressionist style, allowed his visions of nature to breach the boundaries of both geography and time. When asked to describe his work, Liljefors modestly replied: "I paint animal portraits." As with all great portrait artists, Liljefors could capture the very essence of his subjects while stamping them with his own distinct perceptions.

Frail as a child, Liljefors entertained himself for hours on end by drawing and carving animals. Gradually his health improved; he attributed his wellness to his newfound passion, hunting, which took him outdoors. Liljefors received his formal art training at the Royal Academy in Stockholm. He then pursued animal painting in Germany. While in Europe, Liljefors first saw an exhibit of Impressionists in Paris in 1883. He was overwhelmed by their approach to light and color — so radically different from the dark and somber palette of German Realism — and was thereafter indebted to them for his own style of painting.

Back in Sweden, Liljefors struggled to support himself and his family with small commissions until 1901, when he received financial backing from a patron. He was then free to spend an entire year painting the monumental canvases of life-size birds and animals he had so longed to do. His first one-man show in 1906 was a great success, and his artistic career was assured.

Liljefors' visions of nature were deeply personal yet he painted with a universal understanding that has reached across both oceans and generations.