Anders Zorn and Summer Delight

'Summer Delight' (1886) by Anders Zorn; Private Collection

The name of the Swedish painter Anders Zorn, born on 18 February 1860, rings a distant bell but I don't think I truly know him. Shame on me, since he was one of Sweden's internationally best-known artists. He studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm and travelled the world to refine his artistic skills. His portrait painting first gained him international acclaim, and later he became famous for his nude paintings and his depictions of outdoor scenes. He was fascinated by movement of water and the reflection of light on its surface. For this post I have chosen the painting 'Summer delight', because it is beautiful and because it sold at a record price of 26 million kronor ($3.35 million) on June 3, 2010. Click here for the article. The painting is a watercolour on paper and I think it's a lovely happy image. There's more that I like of Zorn's work and you just have to click here to see the painting that I initially wanted to post. So again I've cheated.