“Sommarnöje” (“Summer House”)
Here is one from an extremely talented Swedish artist.
“Sommarnöje” (“Summer House”) is a watercolor on paper painting by the Swedish artist, Anders Zorn, from 1886. In 2010, it received attention when it became the highest priced Swedish painting ever sold.
Zorn painted this early in the summer of 1886. It is rather large, at 31 x 21 inches (76 x 54 centimeters). It features his new wife, Emma. The two had married just a year prior and had recently returned to Sweden from their honeymoon abroad. They were residing with her family in Dalarö, southeast of Stockholm on the Baltic Sea, while looking for their permanent home. Zorn painted this during their stay.
In this piece, Zorn depicts his wife, Emma, standing on a pier awaiting a rowboat. She is dressed all in white with a hat upon her head, looking at the man in the approaching boat. The man is Carl Gustav Dahlström, a friend of the couples, and he gazes directly at the viewer with a slight smile on his face. The painting is extremely detailed in the foreground, with realistic water ripples and shadows. The landscape in the background is painted in a more impressionist style, with larger swaths of color, and suggested forms.
Zorn purposely restrained his color palette, which became a signature of his style. His art was imbued with the colors of the colder Scandinavian north. Zorn and his wife were avid art enthusiasts. They bought many pieces of art from their travels both abroad and at home in Sweden. The home that he shared with his wife that housed his own art collection is today a museum, Zorngården.
“Sommarnöje” (“Summer House“) is currently in a private collection. In 2010, it sold for 26 million kronor ($3.35 million).
For more on Anders Zorn, please visit his short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
