The Swedish watercolor masterpiece - Summer Delight by Anders Zorn

Anders Zorn was one of the most successful and wealthiest artists of his era. Unlike many masters of painting, he did not have to wander from city to city, living a semi-broke life. Zorn’s talent was noted early, during his studies at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm.

Looking at Summer Delight, it is clear why the Swedish artist earned his fame. Watercolor paintings are demanding — the painter has to have great precision and attention to detail. Zorn’s artwork has it all. At first sight, it does not even look like a watercolor painting. You have to take a closer look to see the characteristics of watercolor work. It is the coastline in the background that gives a clear understanding of what type of painting this is.

Summer Delight (1886) by Anders Zorn featuring his wife Emma and their friend Carl Gustav Dahlström. Watercolor painting, 76 cm x 54 cm. Source: Wikipedia Commons.

This artwork represents a happy and romantic period in Zorn’s life. He married his wife Emma a year earlier before this painting was done, and it looks like their honeymoon served as a great inspiration for the creation of such a masterpiece.

Summer Delight depicts Zorn’s friend Carl Gustav Dahlström and his wife Emma on a cloudy day in the coastal Swedish village Dalarö. The weather looks calm, and the water reflections are light. The face of his friend Carl does not display much delight, as the title might say, but it must have been an overall feeling of Zorn during that period over the actual scene nearby the water.

You can also see that the painter did not put all the emphasis on his wife. She is a part of the overall scene rather than the central figure of it. The man in the boat takes as much space and attention, as the young lady in her snow-white dress. Zorn made her stand out, but not too much. But the precision is there — every little shadow and detail looks refined. Summer Delight truly looks like an oil painting, and to achieve such an illusion the painter has to be very skilled.

Zorn was an often guest in France, and he drew some inspiration from the Impressionist works. They were all about emotion. To catch the moments and depict them with loose, sometimes almost careless brush strokes. Zorn kept the attitude of painting a light and uplifting scene from his personal life. However, he kept his attention to detail and presented everything his way.

Interestingly, Zorn did not keep the same enthusiasm for watercolor paintings after finishing Summer Delight. Just a year later, the Swedish painter began to focus on oil paintings. Soon he enjoyed the most productive period in his career that brought him fame and a stable income.

Zorn’s paintings got their special place in Swedish art history. In 2010, Summer Delight became the most expensive Swedish painting ever sold at auction in Sweden with a price of 26 000 000 Swedish krona ($3.35 million). On December 9, 2021, another of Zorn’s paintings broke the record. His Söndagsmorgon got an offer of 35 250 000 Swedish krona.

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