Many people perceive melancholy in Nils Nilsson's painting as an expression of his childhood experiences when he and his siblings were decoded to relatives in Gothenburg. It is possible that the uncertain upbringing colored his artistic activities, but in any case the feeling of loneliness and compassion for the abandoned man appears in several of his paintings.

Nils Nilsson belonged to the Gothenburg Colorists, which was expressed especially after his studies at Valand, when Karl Isakson's influence fades in still life and landscape. Later, the strong link to the painter colleagues is broken by his strong human presence in the compositions.

In 1935, Nils Nilson made his definitive breakthrough after a separate exhibition at...