The Art of Carl Larsson

Perspectives from The Artist's Road

Christmas Morning 1894 Carl Larsson

Swedish artist Carl Larsson (1853-1919) comes to mind when we think of winter and holiday paintings. Born into poverty, Larsson applied to and was admitted to the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts at age 13. Honing his artistic skills, he became a graphic designer and caricaturist, earning enough to help support his parents.

Larsson moved to Paris in 1877 at age 24, but did not embrace the exciting new Impressionist movement. He settled for a time in Grez-sur-Loing, an artist colony frequented by American, British, Scandinavian and, later, Japanese artists. This is where Larsson met his wife, artist Karin Bergöö.

Home life became the subject of his work. The Larsson’s eight children became models for their father’s paintings and the house they moved to in Sundborn, Sweden, the backdrop for his art.