Karin Parrow

Karin Parrow (née Taube) studied for the teacher and artist Tor Bjurström at Valand, Gothenburg in the 1920s. She exhibited regularly with her fellow students.

In that circle of friends were Ragnar Sandberg, Ivan Ivarson, Inge Schiöler and Åke Göransson, i.e. the artists who today are associated with the "Gothenburg colorism."

Karin Parrow was born on the island of Vinga outside Gothenburg. Among the crowd of thirteen children were her older brother, the popular composer and singer Evert Taube (born 1890) and Märta (born 1888). In artistic contexts, Karin Parrow chose not to take advantage of her maiden name or the kinship with her famous brother.

For Karin Parrow, as for the ”Gothenburg colourists”, colour was the primary means of expression. The artister would capture and convey both visual, olfactory and tactile impressions. In her paintings, she combined what she actually saw with what she knew about the subject. Perspective rules were set aside in favor of expression and the image's overall effect. Colour was used to describe a state of mind rather than to tell, describe or distinguish.

Karin Parrow was strongly impressed by Ivan Ivarson's colourful paintings, which she transformed into an expressive view of nature. Her later paintings show more muted colours when she paints landscapes and the everyday life in Gothenburg's harbours and archipelago.

In recent years, Konsthallen Sandgrund in Karlstad has shown several ”Gothenburg colorists” such as Inge Schiöler, Åke Göransson and right now Ragnar Sandberg is being shown. The art museum's owner, the famous artist Lars Lerin, is lyrical about being able to exhibit the Gothenburg colorists, he says in an interview in the newspaper NWT on August 25, 2022:

"Lars Lerin thinks that the Gothenburg colorists are doing well, regardless of how the trends in art are going.

• They belong to the classics of the 20th century. They are always there, it is not affected by the rise and fall of the market, they are Swedish art history. It is among the finest things you can see among paintings, he says, adding that many artists have adopted them and been inspired by them.

Lars Lerin already has plans for more exhibitions in the same spirit at Sandgrund in Karlstad. He mentions two Gothenburg colorists, Ivan Ivarson and Karin Parrow (sister of Evert Taube), but also Erling Ärlingsson and Sven X:et Erixson."