Anders Zorn
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Spanjorskan (Spanish girl)
Signed Zorn and dated Granada 87. Watercolour, image 19 x 13.5 cm.
Provenance
Mr. Otto Rooth, gifted as a wedding present by Anders and Emma Zorn on May 3, 1887
Thence by descent to the present owner.
Exhibitions
Liljevalchs konsthall, Stockholm, "Anders Zorn - Minnesutställning", March 1 - April 6, 1924. cat. no. 315 (then belonging to Direktör Otto Rooth)
More information
In 1887, the Zorns were finally able to visit Spain and the Mediterranean together. Their journey went through Algiers, where they arrived at the turn of January and February. On March 27, they took a boat from Oran to Tangier and Gibraltar, from where they continued to Cádiz.
From Cádiz, the journey continued via Seville to Granada, where they arrived on April 27, 1887. Granada and Alhambra were essential destinations for foreign artists who made it all the way to Andalusia. Zorn, who had never before reached as far as Granada, checked into the popular inn with Emma. The first subject from Alhambra is a sunny interior from the palace, which, with its emphasis on Moorish architecture, aligns with several of his watercolors from Algiers earlier that year. Johan Cederlund writes in his book Zorn in Spain (2009): "There is no question of any romanticizing orientalism. Instead, it is the light and the dissolution of colors that interest Zorn. He acts as a 'plein-air' painter and lets forms and contours merge. [...] Zorn's interior from Alhambra, however, was just a footnote in his production. Zorn was not born to paint architecture; his focus was on women and landscapes." Emma describes in letters home how he worked: "If only he could find some peace in his soul. But it is impossible. All day long, he thinks he must paint, and in the evenings, he believes there must be something somewhere that he should see." Zorn himself summarizes it in his autobiographical notes: "I painted several things there, mostly girls in white dresses, park interiors, gypsy women, etc. Wonderful time."
In May, the Zorns left Granada and began their journey home. The relevant watercolor was given as a wedding present to Ellen and Otto Rooth, who married in May of that year. Emma Lamm and Otto Rooth had been childhood friends since the 1860s when both families had their summer retreats on Lidingö. The captivating portrait of the young Spanish woman with the intense gaze testifies to Zorn's outstanding watercolor technique
Artist
Anders Zorn, born in Mora in 1860, showed artistic talent from a young age. In 1875, he traveled to Stockholm and became a student at the then Slöjdskolan (now Tekniska högskolan) in Stockholm, and shortly after, he joined the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Initially, Zorn had aspirations of becoming a sculptor, but soon watercolor painting took over, becoming his primary medium until 1887. At the student exhibition in 1880, Zorn had his breakthrough with the watercolor painting "I sorg." The following year, he gained international acclaim as a portrait painter. His watercolor painting reached its pinnacle during this period, and his most famous work from this time is "Vårt dagliga bröd” from 1886. Shortly thereafter, Zorn transitioned to oil painting, which was met with immediate success. Zorn's reputation mainly rested on his portrait art, and he portrayed many notable figures, including presidents. For instance, he created an etching of Theodore Roosevelt. His etchings significantly contributed to his success. In the late 1880s, Zorn began working in the genre that would increasingly become his trademark: nude figures in outdoor settings. He had long been fascinated by the movement of water and the reflections of light on its surface. Now, he added the complexity of placing a model near or in the water, aiming to depict a synthesis between nature and humanity. In 1896, Zorn and his wife moved back to Sweden and settled in Zorngården in Mora. This move sparked a renewed interest in his homeland, which would be reflected in his future paintings. Among the artist's scenes from the Mora region, portraying its local customs and ancient traditions, "Midsommardansen" holds the highest value according to Zorn himself. Today, the painting can be found at the National Museum.
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