New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-08-29


essential qualities Of his genius--his
powerful color sense and his acute OBJ
servation Of natural phenomena.
"His work betrays an almost savage
delight in tho truth of nature, and If
to be truthful Is to be cruel, then Zorn
is often cruel. He employs no gentle
gloss and, whether it DO friend or
casual sitter, each is treated with I'M
blushing frankncss. A full-blooded art,
somewhat primitive and exulting in its
crude strength, it gives one a pulsat-
ing sense of reality. His work has the
natural daring Of one who Is on famil-
lar terms with all the secrets Of his
art. Conveying often an appearance of
brilliant, almost reckless improvisa-
ton, it Is mons the less tho result of
astuto and penetrating observation
that has in each case recorded the face
Of actually as we'll as It's deeper and
abiding spirit"
With the ambition to become a sculp-
tor. Zorn entered the Royal Academy
in Stockholm when he was fifteen
years old. He left after a few years
and in London made quite an impress
sion with his work in water colors.
From London he went to Paris, where,
in 1887, he received the first medal
and the Legion Of Honor at tho Paris
Exhibition for his painting in oils.
Arvid Nyholm gives an interesting
account Of Zorn's return to Stockholm
in 1890, where he exhibited some of
his work. His former friends in the
Academy were much interested in his
work, but one Of his former teachers
warned the students in the academy
against his work, pronouncing it rev
dictionary" Needless to say, this
statement only whetted the appetites
of the students for Zorns exhibition.
phase Of Zorn's painting which is an
expression of his peculiar genius is his
treatment of the nude. He preferred to
paint the nude with an outdoor back
ground. Says Mr.. Lauvik:
at is in his unabashed nudes and
in his delineation of Swedish peasant
types that we find the most personal
expression of Zorn's genius. Nowhere
has his faculty Of instantaneous per-
ception, his ability to grasp At glance
and In its entirety either an isolated
individual or a group Of figures, been
employed to greater advantage than in
these brilliant, dazzling nudes and in
these veracious records Of his beloved
Dalecarlian peasants.
"His love Of the unstudied, imposed
naturalness of life has found its cul,
minating expression in those nudes of
women and children as seen in the
open air in the free solitudes Of the
shores Of Dalecarlia."
In 1898 Anders Zorn was IN the
United States. He was connected with
the Swedish exhibition at the Worlds
Fair in Chicago. During that visit to
this country he painted and etched
number of portraits which are highly
priced. Among these was an etched
portrait Of Mr.. Marquand, the we'll
known collector, who left such impor-
tant things to the Metropolitan Mu.
scum. II was while tho Chicago
Worlds Fair was still going on that
Zorn painted a portrait of Mrs. Potter
Palmer.
Tho capacity Of Anders Zorn for
work was dem nstrated By this por
trait OF Mrs. Potter Palmer. After
having planned the picture and before
ne started work on it. Zorn was
thrown from a horse and his right
hand hurt. Tho artist insisted upon
doing the portrait with his left hand,
with which he had never worked be-
fore.
1t is said that Zorn made q fortune
from his paintings and etchings. How
ever he retired to his homo in the
Daiecarlian forest. after considerable
travel and there worked, living simply.
ne took part in the life Of his own
people there
Among his best known portraits are
ono Of himself, In the Ufizt; one Of
King Oscar of Sweden, one of King
Charles of Sweden, "Harald Wiesel-
gren," "Maja," the "Coquelin Cadet"
Portrait Of tho Artist" and 1.-THE
Toast"
Other famous pictures that he painted
arc baking IN Nora" "Night Effect"
Summer in Sweden" "Midsummer
Night Dance at Dalecarlia," "Dagmar"
Maths on Christmas Day." "Watering
the Horse" "Nude" and Startled"
Some OF the best known etchings
are portraits. among them those Of
Renan, Ausa< Strindbsrg, Paul Yer