The Swedish artist Einar Nerman (1888 – 1983) had a long career as caricature artist and commercial graphic artist in both Europe and the United States. His illustrations, posters and picturebooks show continuous interplay with different forms of art and media. In this article, recurring motifs and techniques in Nerman’s early picturebooks Crow’s Dream (1911) and Knight Finn Komfusenfej (1923) are analysed, together with his commercial works and dance productions. By discussing his picturebooks as a part of his artistic production alongside caricatures, dance and theatre productions, an interaction is demonstrated, a dynamic relationship that takes place between picturebook aesthetics and other areas of the arts in Nerman’s work. This kind of interaction between different media from both high and mass culture will also raise the question about the concept of the “avant-garde”.
