Recommended Reading: Carl Larsson

In his pictures, he attempted to fulfill his own and his fellow man's longing for the ideal world. The warm nature of Larsson's work takes on a special significance when one considers the tragic circumstances that shaped his early life.

    CARL LARSSON
    Self-Portrait (1895)

    © Estate of Carl Larsson

Carl Larsson was born on May 28, 1853 in the old city of Stockholm. His father deserted the family, and his mother sustained herself and her two children by doing washing and ironing. This work was not enough to keep the family from economic decline, and mother and children were pushed into the slums, where they experienced unbelievable conditions.

The young Larsson found solace from that frightening world by expressing his desire for beauty in art. He showed artistic promise, and one of Larsson's teachers encouraged the thirteen-year-old boy to apply to an art academy. He passed the institution's entrance examination, but since he felt socially inferior to his fellow students, he remained reserved and shy. His conduct did not change until his first success at the age of seventeen, when he became editor of the school newspaper Pajas. His funny drawings printed there were discovered by the editor of Kaspar, Sweden's leading humorous paper. Larsson was hired by the paper and received an annual salary that increased remarkably witht he years. Apart from that, he also worked as a retoucher for a photographic laboratory. These two incomes made it possible for him to alleviate the financial hardship of his mother and younger brother. Larsson moved on to the New Illustrated Paper, where he became the paper's well-known "drawing reporter". However, painting remained his love and he stayed on at the academy. He studied painting, and under the guidance of his teachers, created his first historical compositions.

    KARIN BERGOO
    Larsson's Wife

    © Estate of Carl Larsson

Like many artists, Larsson was attracted to Paris. In the Swedish artists' colony, he appeared carefree and happy, but secretly he suffered from incessant worry and was troubled by suicidal tendencies. The decisive change in Larsson's life, in the artistic as well as the social sense, came when he retreated from Stockholm to Paris and made the acquaintance of the painter Karin Bergoo, who later became his wife. It was then that the artist began to paint simple motifs of life in the country. These sold well and won an award in the Paris Salon.

In 1885, the artist returned with his family to his homeland. It was after this move that Larsson produced the majority of works for which he is so well-loved. His popularity has not diminished over the years, and with good reason. Larsson wanted to share the beautiful things in life and to appreciate "how pretty the flower is by the wayside, how lovely the hair plait of a little girl is lying around her tiny neck, what a gorgeous picture a nude woman can be, how grand a man and a horse can be presented...But it has to be well done!"

Source: teNeues 2008 Calendar

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Recommended Reading:

• Carl Larsson 2011