Success was not in the cradle of Anders Leonard Zorn. Born in 1860 near Mora in Sweden, the artist came from a poor family: his mother, a seasonal worker from Uppsala, and his German-born father, a brewer, separated at an early age. Zorn was then brought up on his grandparents' farm. Zorn's school teacher discovered the great talent of the musical boy, who showed exceptional talent in sketches and woodcuts. Already at the age of 15 Anders Zorn began studying art in Stockholm and learned to paint with watercolours. A famous painting of that time is "In Sadness".
Increasingly, the young painter earned money with portraits. The 1887 oil painting "Emma Zorn lesend" (Reading Emma Zorn) shows the painter's gift for bringing the emotional intensity of the wife portrayed on the side, realistic rendering and accents through light and shadow into perfect harmony. While the woman and the background are richly detailed, the newspaper appears only as a large white surface: here the painter used a quick, thick brushstroke. No matter how anger puts the person in the room: His picture details convince with light-dark contrasts and a rich palette of colours as well as differentiated character studies of the sitter.
During study visits to Spain and England, Zorn perfected his painting technique. Zorn became increasingly internationally famous, exhibiting "Fischer in Sankt Ives" in the Paris Salon in 1888. In Germany he first made a name for himself with etchings. The painting "Hamburger Hafen" (Hamburg Harbour) demonstrates his mastery in depicting light reflections on the surface of water and creating dramatic tension thanks to a skilful composition. Zorn died in 1920 as a highly decorated, rich artist. His work includes oil paintings, watercolours, drawings with ink and etchings.
Success was not in the cradle of Anders Leonard Zorn. Born in 1860 near Mora in Sweden, the artist came from a poor family: his mother, a seasonal worker from Uppsala, and his German-born father, a brewer, separated at an early age. Zorn was then brought up on his grandparents' farm. Zorn's school teacher discovered the great talent of the musical boy, who showed exceptional talent in sketches and woodcuts. Already at the age of 15 Anders Zorn began studying art in Stockholm and learned to paint with watercolours. A famous painting of that time is "In Sadness".
Increasingly, the young painter earned money with portraits. The 1887 oil painting "Emma Zorn lesend" (Reading Emma Zorn) shows the painter's gift for bringing the emotional intensity of the wife portrayed on the side, realistic rendering and accents through light and shadow into perfect harmony. While the woman and the background are richly detailed, the newspaper appears only as a large white surface: here the painter used a quick, thick brushstroke. No matter how anger puts the person in the room: His picture details convince with light-dark contrasts and a rich palette of colours as well as differentiated character studies of the sitter.
During study visits to Spain and England, Zorn perfected his painting technique. Zorn became increasingly internationally famous, exhibiting "Fischer in Sankt Ives" in the Paris Salon in 1888. In Germany he first made a name for himself with etchings. The painting "Hamburger Hafen" (Hamburg Harbour) demonstrates his mastery in depicting light reflections on the surface of water and creating dramatic tension thanks to a skilful composition. Zorn died in 1920 as a highly decorated, rich artist. His work includes oil paintings, watercolours, drawings with ink and etchings.
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