Master Outdoor Painters
Anders Zorn
Anders
Zorn was born in Mora, Sweden on February 18, 1860. Although
his mother never married Zorn’s father and Anders
never met him, Anders was acknowledged and allowed to
carry his father’s name. His grandparents raised
Zorn. At the age of 15, Zorn attended the Royal Academy
in Stockholm.
His initial interest was sculpture, but he later switched
to watercolors. In 1880, one of his watercolor paintings
was recognized at the student exhibition. This introduced
him to Stockholm society and many commissions soon followed.
Zorn married Emma Lamm in 1885.
In 1887, the Zorn’s spent time in St. Ives in Cornwall,
England. It was here he changed his medium to oils. His
second oil painting was exhibited in the Paris Salon of
1888 and was bought by the French State.
Zorn’s oil portraits launched him into international
acclaim. The use of a limited palette of red, yellow,
black and white added an economy and unity to his paintings.
His ability to capture the individual character of his
models and his bravura brushwork attracted many patrons.
Zorn also embraced naturalism; painting models outdoors
or in natural settings for the sitter instead of the artist’s
studio.
In
1893, Zorn was chosen to supervise the Columbian World
Fair in Chicago, Illinois. This was the first of many
lucrative trips to the USA for Zorn and his wife. He received
many portrait commissions from American society---including
several Presidents and Isabella Stewart Gardner, the most
prominent American art patron of the time.
In 1896, the Zorn’s returned to Sweden and began
to build Zorngarden in Mora. The Zorn’s helped to
preserve folk culture of Mora, establishing a music contest
and schools in the area. Zorn is credited with creating
a folk music revival in Sweden. Zorn was also a successful
sculptor and etcher producing nearly 300 etchings in his
career.
Zorn died on August 22,1920.
Emma survived Anders by 21 years. She created a museum
in his honor and continued the philanthropic work to preserve
the ancient culture of Dalarna, and the folk dialect and
traditions of Mora started with her husband.
Bibliography: