An Introduction to Anders Zorn

[CHClements]

Matt and Gavin!

A tip of the hat to each of you on an excellent job of writing and presenting an introduction to the life and works of Zorn! I hope that everyone will take advantage of this opportunity to catch some Art History and meet a talented artist which I, for one, had not met before.

Thanks to both of you for a job well done!

An Introduction to Anders Zorn

[scandia3815]

I agree, great work! Thank you for putting in the time to put this presentation together. I have been a big fan of Zorn ever since "discovering" his work for the first time in the National Museum in Stockholm 2 years ago. I was in Mora a year later, but was in the middle of a very long drive from Ljungby to Östersund and had no time to stop by the museum

I think his style represents what I think of as "poetic realism", and I feel I connect with the energy and spontaneous feel of his brush strokes far more then I do with a more 'photographic' realism. In that sense his paintings remind me of what our memories would look like if you transfered them from our heads into paint--- not extremely detailed and exact, but loose, vibrant and dynamic.

Information is very hard to come by in English, and a good web collection of his paintings also rather elusive, so I thank you again for the great work and look forward to the web archive you are building of his body of work.

Aaron.

[artmom]

Matt, thank you for this wonderful article! And Gavin, too, for helping Matt get it on WC!

I had not come across Zorn before, so particularly enjoyed being introduced to him and to his wonderful paintings. The colors just glow--even after 100 years!

Again, thanks!

[Matt Sammekull]

Thank you so much for those kind words. This baby took some time you know... not having english as my own language and all...

And artmom "The colors just glow--even after 100 years! "

- Yes, - amazing right? And he NEVER used any kind of varnish on his paintings!

//Matt

[DanaT]

Thought provoking article Matt. I wonder if the kind of dichtonomy Zorn experienced in his upbringing is common to artists.

My favorite artist from the period, John Singer Sargent, also had a foot in two (or more) worlds. He was an ex-patriate American who studied in France but developed his career in London. Although he chose to live and work in England for most of his adult life, he never sought to become "English" like Henry James or TS Eliot.

I wonder if living this dichtonomy creates the ability to see the same thing from different perspectives which is a prerequisite of great art.

[maximillian]

Great article Matt, thanks for all the hard work , very interesting and enjoyable too.

[Redsy333]

Thank you so much for Writing such a wonderful article!! I must say you have made my day, not only did I learn about a great artist, but gained inspiration beyond words.
Your article was presented so well, that I couldnt stop reading, in fact reread a few paragraphs to absorb the moment.
I am just so struck by the beauty of Zorns work, it just amazes me that he could produce such encredible work from watercolors. From here I have no choice but to study more on such an amazing artist!!!!
Again... well done, and Thanks to you and Gavin for giving so much of your time to this!!! You two make a GREAT team!
Cheers,
Redsy

[gaylemadeira]

I have been so incredibly inspired by this article about Anders Zorn! I've been calling my co-workers over to my desk to see his paintings, and forwarding them to people to check out. I'm absolutely amazed by his watercolors. I'm going to try to paint water like that (for the next billion years I'm sure). Thank you so much for sharing this. I usually only like painting people or animals but this inspires me to do more landscapes. Thank you thank you!

[sunnyG]

Did Zorn and Emma have children?

[steen]

I confess total ignorance regarding Zorn. An unbelievable artist. After seeing these pictures I rank him at least with or higher than most of the popular Masters and Impressionists. I would like to add a book of his paintings to my library... any suggestions.
Thank you for your article and images. Amazing.
Steen

[StephenRoy]

Dear Matt


I wrote you a letter at one address, which was returned, and finally got through on the other, which I daresay, is through this webservice. I thank you again for a well-done history and biography. One keeps running across Zorn's work and one thinks, oh, that's a Whistler or Sargent I've never seen, until one looks closely. The watercolor of the old woman in the grass is pure genius. Sweden has many fine painters. This writer is of paternal Swedish and motherly Dutch, so maybe it gives me a talent edge, maybe not! A hard head anyway!

Are you a native Swede? I refer you to story about the Titanic. As it sank one lifeboat was populated by Germans, English, French, and Swedes. After a quarter-hour, the English were gossiping about London, the French were complaining about the food, and the Germans were singing marches. The Swedes were strangely silent. A German reached over and gave one Swede a cup of Schnapps. "Vat's wrong vith you Svedes? Why aren't you talking to vone another?"

The serious answer was, "We haven't been properly introduced."

Do drop me a line. Tak sa mycket!

Stephen Dahl

[KimberF5]

Thank you for a wonderful informative article. You wove such a colorful and interesting profile of an amazing artist. I didn't want your article to end.
Thank you
KimberF5 :

[AquinasShrugged]

The Gardner Museum in Boston is where I first discovered Zorn. If you're ever there you should check it out.

[Bob Rooney]

Great article.

[shells]

Thanks for introducing me to a wonderful artist. I love the way the water is done in "Summer pleasure" (page7). Could someone please do a workshop on painting water, ripples ... I love to paint water but as I can't get the ripple effect, my waterbodies are invariably calm!!