The Trygg family of wood carvers. Montreal, Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. Sweden. Active most of the 20th Century.In Canada and later in Sweden.Carl Johan Trygg (B. 1887) emigrated to Halifax, Canada early in 1928 just before the Depression of the 1930’s, leaving behind a troubled Europe; still recovering from the First World War. He was joined later that same year by his wife Maria, his sons Carl Olaf, and Nils and his daughter (?) Kally Trygg. A successful sculptor already; he moved to Montreal, Quebec where he continued to make wood carvings. With a burgeoning and successful wood carving tradition already established in Quebec; Trygg adapted quickly and fit in well. As his children grew ( a third son, Lars was born in Canada) they also became working wood carvers. A relative; Ellen Trygg was also known to have made wood carvings. Their style of carving is known as Caricature carving; done in the Scandinavian Flat Plane tradition of wood carving. Similar to the Black Forest sculptures and the Anri carvings of the Italian Alps. (While the Bourgault artists of Saint-Jean-Port-Joli and other Quebec schools worked in the flat Plane style; they carved from life. Their works were not Caricature carvings.)

The artists in the Trygg family were:

Carl Johan Trygg.  1877-1954. See separate article in the Directory: http://lyleelderfolkart.com/artist-bios/carl-johan-trygg/

Carl Olaf Trygg.  1910-1993. See separate article.

Nils Trygg. 1914-1951.

Lars Trygg. (Dates Unknown)

Ellen Trygg. (Family relationship uncertain as yet.) See separate article.

Carl Johan Trygg, Carl Olaf Trygg and Nils Trygg returned to Sweden after the end of the Second World War where they resumed carving. Lars remained in North America.

 

Ref: Website with a background of the Trygg Family:

http://www.hobonickels.org/trygg03.htm

Carl Johan (C.J.) Trygg. Montreal, Saint-Sauveur, Quebec. C. J. Trygg was active from 1915 – 1950; both in Sweden and in Canada.

Carl Johan Trygg emigrated to Canada in 1928. At the age of forty, he was already a very successful artist in Sweden carving figures in the Scandinavian flat-plane carving tradition.  He settled in Montreal and continued his work selling in Galleries across Quebec and in the rest of Canada. He eventually moved to the Saint-Sauveur area in the Laurentian Mountains, north of Montreal where he built a studio makiing his own sculptures and teaching the art of flat plane carving to others. His students included Pat and Charles Hannah from Verdun, Quebec. C. J. Trygg’s three sons became carvers as well: Carl Olaf Trygg (1910-1993), Nils Trygg (1914-1951) and and Lars Trygg. Carl Olaf and Carl Johan eventually returned to Sweden after the second world war where they continued carving. Lars Trygg, who was born in Canada, as far as I know stayed in North America as did Nils Trygg (although there is some confusion about this). There was a relative; Ellen Trygg who also carved. Her pieces are rarely found, however and I am not sure if she signed her work.

The Trygg family carvings are always painted and their carvings always have an applied base; typically fastened with two small common nails (1 inch long). They were nearly always signed; often with a chisel on the front of the base. Simply “TRYGG”, and often on the bottom of the base in script with a pen. Carl Johan Trygg, in Quebec, signed: “C.J.Trygg” in script with a pen and often, but not always, wrote “Quebec”. Carl Olaf signed: “C.O. Trygg” in script also and often wrote “Quebec”. Occasionally on the Quebec pieces we will see “Hand carved by Trygg”. Very occasionally there will be additional information on the base; a price or a date. If there is another name it is usually that of the collector. They almost always carved in Basswood.

They typically made  figures , often Tramps and Hobos and workers in trades: Fishermen, Farmers, and their Wives, Policemen and Sea Captains among others. And occasionally Political figures; an example by Carl Johan  Trygg that I have seen is Winston Churchill with a Bull Dog and cigar, of course. Carl Johan Trygg also made decorative household things such as Ashtrays with a figure applied and Pipe Racks. (See the images below) They carved different sizes of figures, typically six or seven inches tall and more rarely twelve inch carvings. Again, always in paint, with bright primary colors. Their wood carvings are sometimes referred to as “Caricature” Carvings.

Two carvings by Carl Johan Trygg. (1930’s):

A Pipe Rack:

 

An Ashtray and Match Holder with a Woman:

 

C. J. Trygg. Carving of a Hobo. 12 inches high. Early 1930’s:

 

Carl-Johan (C.J.) Trygg. His mark:

 

A carving of a Sea Captain by C.J.Trygg with the “Hand Carved by Trygg” mark. C. 1935:

The “Hand Carved by Trygg” mark on the base:

 

 

 

 

 

Jean-Raymond Bourgault. Sculptor. Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec. Active mid-20th century.

Jean-Raymond Bourgault was the son of Medard Bourgault. While not as prolific or well known as his father and uncles; he was an exceptional sculptor in wood. An example of his work is shown below. It is an end-grain carving of a  group of five carved people. It is sculpted in a single three inch thick cross section  of hardwood. The effect that Raymond Bourgault achieved is amazing. It was carved when he was 23.

An exceptional end-grain carving by Jean-Raymond Bourgault (1947):

(Now in a private collection.)

Leopold Carriere. Painter. Piedmont (?), Quebec. Active mid-20th century.

Leopold Carriere was a primitive and naive artist. He worked with ‘as found’ materials usually making pictures of the surrounding Laurentian mountains. He often worked on existing painted canvases that he found at garage sales. He would paint over these and if he found parts of the existing picture to his liking, would keep them, adding his own elements around them. He would often glue in images cut out of books and magazines – or even coloring books. His pallet was bright and primary and his materials everywhere. His paintings were naive and very charming and effective. I am not sure of his dates; though he was elderly in the 1970’s.

An example of his work. Applied mixed media on a pre-painted background.. Signed with a label in the lower right:

From a private collection.

 

Carole Fournier. Painter. Montreal, Quebec. Active 1960’s-1970’s.

Found: A signed naive painting of a group of children around the supper table. Titled: “Souper des Enfants”. Circa 1970. The artist was possibly from the south shore of the St. Lawrence at Montreal.