Johan Tirén (1853-1911) was a well-known Swedish painter who loved to paint scenes of rural life in Northern Sweden. He had a younger brother named Karl Tirén, who was also an artist. When Johan was seven years old, his family moved to Oviken in Jämtland because his father got a job as the local priest.
Johan first went to school at the Tekniska skolan in Stockholm and later studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts from 1877 to 1880. He did so well there that he won a Royal Medal in 1880 for a painting called "Loki Imprisoned by Æsir." Johan’s painting "A Jämtland Legend" made him famous when it was displayed at the Academy, and it featured his classmate Anders Zorn as a water spirit.
In 1881, Johan traveled to Norrland to study. He received a scholarship that allowed him to travel and study art in places like the Netherlands, Belgium, Paris, and Upper Bavaria. He was supposed to study in Munich, but after spending a summer in Denmark, he decided to go back to Paris instead. There, he studied with Jean-Léon Gérôme but didn’t feel inspired by what he saw. When his travel money ran out, he returned to Jämtland and focused on painting the landscapes and the lives of the Sami people.
In 1884, Johan married Gerda Rydberg, who was also a painter. Johan became very passionate about the rights of the Sami people. In 1892, he painted a powerful scene showing Sami reindeer that had been shot by a farmer. This painting was based on a real event where a landowner named William Farup of Ljusnedal ordered the killing of Sami reindeer to make way for development.
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