Zorn, Anders

Zorn, Anders (b Mora, 18 Feb. 1860; d Mora, 22 Aug. 1920).
Swedish painter and etcher. After leaving the Stockholm Academy in 1881 because of its restrictive and outdated ideas, he travelled widely, becoming the most cosmopolitan Scandinavian artist of his time and an international success. He was based in London (1882–5), then Paris (1888–96), and visited Spain, Italy, the Balkans, North Africa, and (on several occasions) the USA, where he painted three presidents. Originally he worked almost exclusively in watercolour, but in 1887–90 he abandoned the medium for oils. In 1896 he settled at his home town of Mora (although he continued to travel), building his own house, which is now a museum dedicated to him. He painted three main types of pictures: portraits, genre scenes (often depicting the life and customs of the area in which he lived), and female nudes. It is for his nudes—unashamedly healthy and voluptuous works—that he is now best known. He often painted them in landscape settings and delighted in vibrant effects of light on the human body, depicted through lush brushwork that recalls the handling of his friend Max Liebermann. Zorn also gained a great reputation for his etchings and he occasionally made sculpture, including one large work—the statue of Gustavus Vasa in Mora (1903).