This Month's Artist

The Ambleside Online folks are studying Vermeer.

Over at 4 Real Learning, they're getting to know Winslow Homer.

But here in the Bonny Glen, we've just begun a book on American history which begins with the Vikings. And the Vikings put us in the mood for some Norse myths. And those, coming on the heels of all the Jan Brett stories we read during Advent, have us spinning our globe to Scandinavia on a daily basis, which is a perfect excuse for me to indulge in a month-long celebration of one of my favorite painters: Sweden's Carl Larsson.

Here are some Larsson paintings:

Flowers on the Windowsill
Crayfishing
The Yard and the Wash-house

But here's the one I love the best. Turn the clock back just a couple of years, and these little girls are mine. There's Jane, lost in a reverie at the dresser when she's supposed to be getting dressed; Rose, defiantly not dressed and with that look in her eye that dares you to do something about it; and baby Beanie, bemused by the layers and folds of clothing in which she finds (or almost loses) herself. You can tell this picture was painted by a father.

Mama's and the Small Girls' Room, from Larsson's book At Home (click to enlarge image)

Comments

[Ann]

Thanks for this great post (I've linked it to mine). We love picture study, too. It's one of those universally appealing subjects that can be approached in so many ways.
'Tis the season to buy calendars at wonderful discount prices. Beautiful, large prints, nice heavy paper...perfect for Picture Study!
~Ann

[Lisa]

Carl Larrson is a personal favorite as well. In an effort to squelch winter blues we recently acquired a used copy of "A Home" (either through ebay or amazon, can't recall which). The commentary for "Mama's and the Small Girls' Room" gives a further peak into the painting's charms; "Carl Larrson painted this picture on a Sunday morning. Karen had just been ill with pneumonia. Carl had been worried and upset, but now Karen was almost well again. The children had moved back into the room. It was the first happy Sunday morning in a long time." The picture seems all the sweeter and dearer when viewed in light of such background! LMS