Júlíana Sveinsdóttir is one of the first Icelandic women to build a professional career in art. She trained with Þórarinn B. Þorláksson in Iceland and, from 1912 to 1917, at Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi in Copenhagen. Sveinsdóttir spent most of her working life in Denmark, where she took an active part in artistic life. She was thus an early member of Kvindelige Kunstneres Samfund (KKS), which worked for greater female representation and the building of artists' networks.

Throughout her life she maintained a strong connection to her homeland, and Iceland's nature remains Sveinsdóttir's principal motif and an inexhaustible source of inspiration.