Carl Larsson, Dad Artist

Solstice and Father’s Day overlap today, so I thought I’d bring you a Swedish summer-celebrating artist who loved being a dad: Carl Larsson. My own father spent two formative years in Sweden as a young man (IYKYK). Wasa crackers, red clogs, Dalarna horses, Brio train sets, and yule carols all featured throughout my childhood. Thanks, Dad! Happy Father’s Day!

We had more than a dozen posters after Carl Larsson’s watercolors framed in our house, which he still has, much faded now. Here are a few that I grew up with. The first is a view of his older studio at his house—note the arch on the right that you can see in the exterior view below it.

White kitten, summer breeze, churning butter, basket-hat (I guess? When you’re three you can wear whatever headgear you want).

One of many summer picnics.

Larson met his wife Karin Bergöö in artistic circles in France, when they were both studying painting. After they married she continued to be an artist, designer, and crafter, and was often Carl’s model—as were their eight children. She designed much of their interior house, many textiles, and furniture such as a green geometric plant stand and a rocking chair that looks like it was designed in the 1960s, not around 1900! The tapestries she designed, one of which is shown on her loom, below, shows bold colors way ahead of her time. I’d love to tell you more about her in another post.

The Larsson family centered around their children, with festivals, make-believe, Christmas, childhood games, dress-up.

Larsson’s watercolors of his family tell us to celebrate childhood, and don’t take yourself too seriously!

You can still visit the Larsson’s house, Lilla Hyttnäs, in Sweden. I loved visiting many, many years ago and it would be so great to see it again! Here’s a link to a video of their great-great-great-granddaughter giving a tour!

(The video link is also here at: https://www.nytimes.com/video/t-magazine/100000010060907/house-tour-lilla-hyttnas.html