Iowa state bystander. [volume] (Des Moines, Iowa) 1894-1916, 1913-02-21
Anna Bobero Braves Rigorou.
Winters Of North. to Paint.
Artist Took Pot Luck With the HUN.
bic Fisher Folk In Pursuit Of Her
Adoptad Professionalism
Was Tendsriy Reared.


Of the Lofoton islands "a where Anna
Boberg lives and paints. She draws
her Inspiration from the Arctic az.
For several months OF each year tbi,
delicately nurtured woman Of raw
Stockholm braves such hard ships "A
men endure In order to put a asw dot
on the map or to plant the sss Of
their country where flag never vxyed
before. She has made herself tho
little sister Of the fisherman, uyinr
their lives Of privation and listening
to their tales OF draugs and elves and
all the hostile forces OF nature. She
has faced the flashing OF the winter
storms and dreamed in the glory az
the summer nights.
Anna Boberg's father was a distin.
guished architect. says the Craftsman.
Her husband. Ferdinand Bobers, IL
also an architect land one of the fore
most In Europe.
In the beginning she took pot luck
with the fishermen. She slept when.
ever a bed was to be had and did NOT
inquire too squeamishly. At some
posts the local trader is required BY
law to furnish beds for travellers; in
other places she was met by a curt
denial. caused not so much by un.
kindness as by awe Of her supposed
fine ladyfsm. But it needed only
pleasant word to the old man at the
fireside-or a baby handled in her lap
-or kind word to the mother-and
the house was hers, with all that it
contained. There was her spoon to
dip in the common porringer and her
share OF the potatoes and sailed her.
ring. There was a bench, if nothing
better. where she could roll herself
in q blanket and sleep as we'll as pos
sible In q room with mother, father
and various sizes Of children.
To give her as much of home as
possible, under the circumstances and
save her from unnecessary hardships.
Mr.. Boberg has built her studio near
the fishing station at Svolvar. s
When there is good haul before
the fishermen Of Lofoten. necessitat-
ing long hours Of night work, Mrs.
Boberg allows no consideration for
her own comfort to interfere with the
work that means their livelihood.
Often she helps to throw net or
hold tiller. She has constructed q
special type Of palette and easel,
xrhioh oop ho ~ ronNod ~ bor Dorcon Is
SO that che can paint on rocking
boat and miss no shifting play of sun
and wind on the churning sea. Her
costume, too, is Of her own invention.
Skirts are left behind among the lux
uries Of the mainland. Instead she
wears in winter fur trousers coming
up to her armpits, with fur jacket
and a close fitting cap that leaves
only her eyes and mouth free. For
painting she cuts the fingers and
palms from her fur gloves. When the
snow is soft she straps skis to her
feet to keep from sinking deep Into It.
as she stands at work. often In .
whirling snowstorm, till the paint
freezes, and her stitfening fingers can
hold brush no longer. Then she Is
glad to escape with nothing more seri-s
GUS than frosted fingers or face. f
3 The fishermen laugh at her uniform
and never tire of their joke: Are you
man or woman" Sometimes they
venture criticisms such as: 1.-THE num-
Der of that boat isn't right-it should
be six instead of 4 seven" or that
ships too red" Mrs. Boberg enjoys
the criticisms and culls from them
whatever is Of value, for she aims TO
reproduce with absolute faithfulness
the implements and methods that are
passing with the older generations.
During the last ten or twelve years
she las made more than 400 small
sketches, which are carefully pre-
served in stockholm, not only for
their artistic value. but for the &c
curacy OF detail which make them his
.torfcally valuable. She has also SET
herself to the task Of gathering all the
weird, Wild tales that will soon have
faded even from the minds OF the old
salts In Nordland,