Bukowskis Presents Three Important Artworks by Carl Larsson at Important Spring Sale

Carl Larsson, "Vårflod/Översvämning"

In Sundborn, Dalarna, the river floods annually in the spring. In the current painting "Vårflod/Översvämning" from 1902, Carl Larsson captured this phenomenon and framed it around this tender family portrayal. While his wife Karin sits on a chair with Torbjörn on her lap, the daughters run around and explore the floodwaters. The water has created a temporary island where the family can enjoy the warmth of the spring sun.

Family and nature are two recurring themes in Carl Larsson's artistic career, and in "Vårflod/Översvämning" we see him masterfully exploring both. Carl Larsson began in earnest with his family portrayals in 1889 when he moved in with his family to the cottage Lilla Hyttnäs in Sundborn, outside of Falun. Over the next ten years, the family would have residences in Stockholm and Sundborn. In Stockholm, Carl Larsson worked on significant commissioned works, such as the wall paintings for the National Museum, while in Sundborn, he devoted himself to depicting his immediate surroundings and the people around him.

Nature as a subject matter was discovered by Carl Larsson much earlier in his career, specifically during his young years in France. Between 1882 and 1885, he resided in the village of Grez-sur-Loing, along with other Swedish and Scandinavian artists, where they collectively explored the emerging genre of landscape painting that had developed in France during the latter half of the 19th century. Upon his return to Sweden, he wrote that he had now "embraced nature wholeheartedly [...] The youthful, fertile soil shall now become the object of my painting."

"Vårflod/Översvämning” is a declaration of love to both family and nature. While portraying Karin's love for Torbjörn and the daughters' vibrant curiosity, he also captures the spring's fertile vegetation with its majestic birch trees and babbling water.

To be sold at the Important Spring Sale

Estimate 3 000 000 - 5 000 000 SEK

Viewing: June 8th–13th, Berzelii Park 1, Stockholm

Open: Weekdays 11 am–6 pm, Weekends 11 am–4 pm

Auction Live: June 14th – 16th, Arsenalsgatan 2, Stockholm

To the work

Carl Larsson, "The garden in Sundborn"

The summer of 1892 was rainy and cold for Carl Larsson and his family in Sundborn. This is how the artist describes it:

"And you ask about the 'harvest'! Oh dear, it's just pitiful! [...] Goodness, what a summer! The days slip away, one like the other. In the morning, you jump into the lake, eat your oatmeal, and gaze at every flower and every leaf on the property as if they've grown overnight. Then, with easel and tools, off to find a subject. Then, lunch at half-past 1. Then, sketch an illustration until 5 o'clock. That's when the lukewarm coffee and pastries arrive."

The auction's painting was likely executed during this rainy summer, which may explain the cloudy sky and subdued colour palette the artist employs. We see a serene depiction of the family's cottage and farm in Sundborn, where they had lived since 1889. In the quote above, he describes how he ventures out with his easel and begins to paint after the morning swim and oatmeal breakfast. It is easy to imagine how the painting came to be during these morning moments.

Carl Larsson would later use the painting as a reference for the more famous work "De mina", where the artist painted the family in front of the house.