My grandfather Bengt's twin sisters, Tali and Hedda, were both artists (as was his brother, Holger). They were raised in Berlin, and were the daughters of Adolf Paul, a Swedish playwright, and Natalie Brehmer Paul.
This week I received a note from someone who actually met Tali, Pia Clark. Pia's aunt and uncle were neighbors of Tali's in Lidingö, a suburb of Stockholm. They lived on Frimurarevägen.
Pia sent me a portrait of her grandmother, Carolina Elizabeth Liljedahl, that Tali drew. Usually, her paintings are thick with oil, but this one had a lighter feeling and was similar to a portrait Tali did of my mother, Christa Paul. I think they are both excellent. Here they are:
Carolina Elizabeth Liljedahl
Christa Paul Nolan
I never met Tali, but I did meet Hedda, who painted my portrait in 1975 in Rappestad, a little village outside Linköping.
I ask Pia if she knew anything about Tali, and she reported back:
"The place they lived is called Bosön. They lived on the hill right by the water. The house had been converted into three apartments. My Uncle and Aunt lived in one, my Aunt’s brother lived in one and Tali lived in the third one.
"I was born in Sweden and I remember going there for parties. The grounds were so nice and then there was the water. This is where my Grandmother met her and Tali wanted to draw her.
"I talked to my cousin (in Sweden) who also remembered Tali. She had a moped that she always rode around on and wore a leather cap with ear flaps. When I said she was bohemian, it was to say she was a little strange (eccentric)."
My cousin Veronica has written that Tali did not want to part with her best paintings, and was thus often at a loss for money. Hedda learned to teach art, and made a good living. I believe she lived in Säffle, after leaving Berlin in the 1930s. Natalie, her mother, joined her there after the war. Adolf died in 1943.
I will try and find a photo of Tali. And I'll post some more of her incredible artwork. Also Hedda's.
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