Johan Krouthén was a Swedish artist. He broke away from the traditions of the Swedish Academy, turning to Realism* and Idealism*. Immediately after his studies, he spent a few months in Paris and in Denmark where he associated with the Skagen Painters*. Back in Sweden he painted pictures of gardens and portraits of local people.

Krouthén, the son of Conrad Krouthén, a merchant, and Hilda Atkins, was born in Linköping. The Krouthén family, from Norrköping, had worked for generations as pewterers.

When he was 14, Krouthén left school and started an apprenticeship with Svante Leonard Rydholm, a photographer and artist, where he learned the basic skills of both painting and photography. In 1875, at the age 16, he joined the Royal ...