Saturday, November 5, 2011

Saturday Salon: A Favorite Painting or Two...or Three...!

In My Gondola

Girl from Dalecarlia, knitting.

In the Twilight.

Ols Maria

The Mora Fair

Mona

Portrait of Elizabeth Sherman Cameron

Mrs. Bacon

Mrs. Eben Richards

King Gustave V

A Kitchen Maid

Woman In A Forest

Woman dressing.

Mrs. Isabella Stewart Gardner in Venice.

Anders Zorn (1860 - 1920) was a  famed Swedish painter, sculptor and print maker. When I spotted that gondolier's red collar (the first painting) - I knew I had come across something special.

Zorn was born in Mora, Sweden, in the hamlet of Yvraden and was raised on his grandparents' farm. At the age of fifteen (1875),  he began study at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm, where he trained for five years.

He travelled extensively throughout Europe and to the United States. His early work was in water color but he later switched to oils. He was very adept at the use of negative space and as you can see he could handle realism as well as, later, work in the Impressionist style.

While I love all the paintings in my post, I have to say that the one of Mrs. Isabella Stewart Gardner just dazzles.

Zorn was skilled in portraiture (he painted several American Presidents) but also became famous for his nudes, sculpture and etchings. To learn more about Anders Zorn, please use this link. 

Anders Zorn - Self Portrait

16 comments:

  1. In My Gondola, In the Twilight and The Mora Fair seem so real. The last mentioned, which has a man lying face down in the foreground, could pass off for a scene from a film.

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  2. Very beautiful paintings. I guessed they were by a Swedish painter. I am getting an education here.

    I love the Ols Marin and the woman knitting, then Mona and the washerwoman.

    Absolutely wonderful.

    By the way, a painting by Cezanne was featured in the NY Times on Friday, just wonderful, too.

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  3. I love the movement of the water in In The Twilight. It's simply gorgeous.

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  4. Prashant: Yes, I agree. Zorn could do both realism AND impressionistic work. That particular painting of the Fair is kind of mysterious. I wondered if the man were sleeping or....?

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  5. Kathy: I'm just an art fan. :) For serious art learning you have to go to an art history site. I have one listed on my lower right hand sideboard - Three Pipe Problem.

    There are many others too.

    So much to read, so much to learn...!

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  6. Ryan: Yes, Anders Zorn was known for his handling of water. You've hit right on it. :)

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  7. (tried to post a comment earlier but it just kept disappearing!)

    I love the picture of the lady knitting (naturally!).

    Another 'new' artist you've introduced me to, Yvette - thanks!

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  8. How funny because the woman in the second picture looked Swedish to me, but it took some time before I realized I was right.

    And I can understand that you couldn´t choose one or two favourites.

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  9. Zorn's paintings are gorgeous! I love the one of the woman knitting ..there is such look of pleasant concentration on her face.

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  10. Zorn is new to me but my goodness, I love him.

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  11. Sue: You're so welcome. Nice to see you around these parts again. :)

    That particular picture caught my eye immediately. It is so serene. And the colors are just perfection.

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  12. Dorte: I love all of these. Hard to choose just one or two. But under pressure, I say again that the one of Mrs. Isabella Stewart Gardner just dazzled me. That slash of white against the dark. All movement.

    But again, I love them all.

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  13. Pat: Yes, that seems to be a favorite. The soothing colors I think. The pleasant past time. The concentration. I am especially taken with the way Zorn painted her hair. It is so beautifully golden. It shines in the light.

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  14. Good. I'm glad you discovered a new artist here, Patti. He's new to me too. Don't know how I could have overlooked him in the past.

    Some of his portraits of women have a look of John Singer Sargent to them - but these guys were all working around the same time so influence was to be expected. Who influenced who? Doesn't matter.

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  15. Yvette My Daughter and I are going to Boston Pops Thurs. Dec 10th, we will be in Boston the 9-10-11th
    Going to Isabella's Museum Wed. Love the post. yvonne

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  16. Glad you liked it, Yvonne. I wish I were joining you in Boston. :) Have a great time!

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