SOMETIMES SO COLD AND YET SO WARM...........

mars 20, 2014

The poster for the expo.

For a country as cold as Sweden, the gentleness of Carl Larsson’s work makes me feel it is an idyllic country - but not in winter, definitely not.   I discovered Larsson’s work in Finland for the first time. He was born in an old quarter of Stockholm in May 1853.

His family was very poor and Carl grew up in dismal circumstances. The only glimmer of hope was his strong artistic talent, which emerged early on in his life. After a difficult beginning in an Art School, especially as he felt out of his element in this social circle, he began to feel more confident and it was not long before he became one of the central figures in student circles.

The turning point came in 1882 when he moved to Grez, a Scandinavian artists’ colony outside Paris. It was there he met his future wife Karin Bergöö and underwent an artistic transformation after abandoning his pretentious oil painting in favour of watercolours - a lucky move that would mean a lot for his artistic development. It was in Grez that he painted some of his most significant pictures.

The house in Sundborn still looks the same as it did when Carl and Karin lived there and today’s visitor to Lilla Hyttnäs can almost hear the animated laughter of the children and catch the scent of the artist’s oil paints.

A very important work which was supposed to be hung in the National Museum in Stockholm was refused and this virtually broke his heart. He felt however, that one day it would be accepted although it past by an Japanese buyer to be returned for a specific exhibition of his work in 1992. Friends of the association got together and the painting finally found its real home in the museum.


Midvinterblot

Larsson died in 1919

Family life was a motif and source of inspiration. What pleased me most of all were his watercolors and the joyous moments with his eight children. The colors are gentle, there seems to be no rush or vital energy in these paintings and yet they are full of life. There were virtually none included of the winter months but those I saw in the catalogue later made me feel that snow and cold were practically acceptable under his brush.