Art Sunday; Anders Zorn, paintings of approaching winter.

Anders Zorn

Anders Leonard Zorn, Born 18 February 1860 in Mora, Sweden and Died 22 August 1920, aged 60, in Stockholm, Sweden.
He trained at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts, Stockholm
 

He was born in Yvraden, a small Swedish hamlet and was raised there on his grandparents' farm.
From 1875–1880 Zorn studied at Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm, Sweden. He traveled to London, Paris, the Balkans, Spain, Italy and the United States, and became an internationally successful painter. His early works tended to be luminous watercolors but by about 1887 he preferred to work with oils.

Zorn painted portraits, scenes depicting rural life and traditional customs. Zorn is also famous for his nude paintings and realistic depictions of water.
 


It was his skill as a portrait painter that won Zorn his international success. His subjects even included three American Presidents and Swedish royalty.

Many of his paintings were painted in the summer and show nymph like nudes either submerged in water or tentatively putting one toe in water before actually taking the plunge. These paintings showcase both his figure drawing skills and his lifelike representation of water. These are not the paintings I’ve shown here, I chose his work because I like the way some of his paintings seem to convey a real chill in the air. To me these paintings capture the time when the temperatures drop and thoughts turn to winter…………..exactly how I feel today.

Maybe its his Scandinavian origins that allow him to paint what look like decidedly cold scenes.