The Red Room · Character

Lundell

A painter turned fat Epicurean, Lundell trades sacred altarpieces for portrait commissions and dinner invitations he calls character studies.

supporting

Also known as the practical Lundell, Mr. Lundell, Presently Lundell

First appearance: III: The Artists’ Colony

As a supporting figure in The Red Room, Lundell is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A practical painter who works to please the public; he is depicted as opportunistic and manipulative, using Rehnhjelm as a model.

In the storyIII: The Artists’ ColonyOpen this moment free

See Lundell in III: The Artists’ Colony Book page

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Once a painter of religious pictures, Lundell abandoned the altar for the table, becoming a genial freeloader who only visits the Red Room when his purse is empty. He defends his endless dinners and suppers as essential research, insisting that invitations are how a portraitist studies his subjects. His easy pragmatism and appetite for comfort set him apart from the colony's hungrier, more tortured souls, offering a wry counterpoint to their ideals.

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The fuller portrait of Lundell sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Lundell in III: The Artists’ Colony

Character Web

22 connections

A slice of how Lundell sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Bohemian circle members
Protagonist

+17 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Falk reaches his emotional and psychological nadir here, experiencing complete disillusionment and loss of sel…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Sellén
friendship · positive
Lundell and Sellén are fellow artists and frequent companions within the bohemian circle,… How this plays out →
Arvid Falk
friendship · positive
Olle Montanus
friendship · positive
Sellén
friendship · positive
Lundell and Sellén are fellow artists and frequent companions within the bohemian circle,… How this plays out →
Arvid Falk
friendship · positive
Arvid Falk
friendship · positive
Olle Montanus
friendship · positive
Sellén
friendship · positive
Lundell and Sellén are fellow artists and frequent companions within the bohemian circle,… How this plays out →
Olle Montanus
friendship · positive

Sellén
Lundell and Sellén are fellow artists and frequent companions within the bohemian circle, sharing a bond over their craft.
Arvid Falk
Lundell is a fellow artist and friend in Arvid's bohemian circle, often collaborating and socializing.
Olle Montanus
Lundell and Olle Montanus are close artist friends, frequently interacting within the bohemian group.
Sellén
Lundell and Sellén are fellow artists and frequent companions within the bohemian circle, sharing a bond over their craft.
Arvid Falk
Lundell is a fellow artist and friend in Arvid's bohemian circle, often collaborating and socializing.
Arvid Falk
Lundell is a fellow artist and friend in Arvid's bohemian circle, often collaborating and socializing.
Olle Montanus
Lundell and Olle Montanus are close artist friends, frequently interacting within the bohemian group.
Sellén
Lundell and Sellén are fellow artists and frequent companions within the bohemian circle, sharing a bond over their craft.
Olle Montanus
Lundell and Olle Montanus are close artist friends, frequently interacting within the bohemian group.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Lundell in III: The Artists’ Colony

In the story

Lundell appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

III: The Artists’ Colony
A practical painter who works to please the public; he is depicted as opportunistic and manipulative, using Rehnhjelm as a model.
VI: The Red Room
Working on his Descent from the Cross, criticizes Sellén's work, protests the pawning of others' belongings, and envies Sellén's velvet waistcoat.
VII: The Imitation of Christ
Mentioned as having given Falk a riddle that is now partially understood.
XI: Happy People
Arrives with a commission to paint an altarpiece; later leads the group to Marie's house and gives a drunken speech about religion and nobility.
XVIII: Nihilism
Mentioned in Montanus's letter as the painter of the altarpiece, including a self-portrait as the repenting thief.
Audiences
The fashionable portrait painter flatters Falk while finishing his portrait for the crèche.
XXIV: On Sweden
Attends the dinner, becomes intoxicated and excited, shouts toasts to Arvid.
XXVII: Recovery
Now a fat Epicurean who only comes to the Red Room when he has no money for dinner.
XXIX: Revue
Left the religious sphere, painting portraits of directors, made assistant at the Academy of Arts, and got a painting into the National Museum via a trick.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Lundell unlock in the free preview.

See Lundell in III: The Artists’ Colony