Style Imitating Art: Karin at the Shore by Carl Larsson

About Style Imitating Art

Oh, it’s a creative kind of week! Yesterday, I posted my Songful Style look, and today, I’m bringing you my Style Imitating Art look! Style Imitating Art is a group collaboration between Salazar, Terri, and Shelbee. Please make sure you visit each blog to see their SIA looks. Style Imitating Art challenges people to find inspiration in different art works and create outfits based upon that art work. Every other Monday one of them selects an inspiration piece of art and posts the image on their blog. They then invite others to interpret that art work through their style. The following Monday, they share their outfits. The curator shares submissions the following Wednesday on her blog. Salazar chose this week’s art work. You can see a few of my looks here, here, here, and here!

Inspiration art work

About the art work

I love everything about this picture…the soft colors, the fading lilies in the foreground, the dog in the boat in the background, and can we talk about that hat!!! This is a painting of the artist’s wife, Karin, as she walks along the waterfront gazing at her daughter in the boat offshore. In Larsson’s own words: “Here is Lisbeth, had just come back from England, in tailor-made dress with an attached WRECK OF A HAT. She was sitting in my old leaky boat. Do not be deceived, it is not immediately taken after nature, she sits alone as a model. I sat on the bridge, the afternoon sun was shining so pleasant, and just warm enough…and I was so sincerely happy to be having my beloved little girl back home. On the other hand, the board is Karin along the beach and watching the fading melancholy of autumn’s very last flowers. The next night they froze away.” I think the idiosyncratic wording is probably a result of translation. The art work is watercolor on paper and measures 29.5 inches x 21.4inches. It was painted in Sundborn, Dalarna, Sweden in 1908.

About the artist

Carl Larsson was born in Stockholm, Sweden on May 28, 1853. He was extremely poor and had an unhappy childhood as a result. His father was a bit of a ne-er-do-well, a heavy drinker, and chronically underemployed. He worked as a casual laborer, stoker, and grain carrier at a mill which he had once leased. His mother worked hard as a laundress to care for her two sons. After several moves, Larsson, his mother, and brother moved to Grev Magnigränd No. 7 (later No. 5) and had to share a single room with two other families. Larsson grew to despise his father after he declared, “I curse the day you were born.” (source) When he was 13, a teacher urged Larsson to apply to the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. Following his admission, Larsson keenly felt his poverty and was shy and confused. When he was 16, he was admitted to the “antique school” where he seems to have lost his shyness and found a little more confidence.

A little more…

While at the “antique school”, Larsson also worked as a caricaturist and graphic artist thus supporting his family including his father! I’m not sure if Larsson graduated from the Academy or not, but he moved to Paris in 1877. While there, he struggled to establish any kind of reputation as an artist. Larsson was not eager to join the Impressionist movement and, instead, gravitated toward the other Swedish painters there. In 1882, he and his fellow Swedish painters settled in Grez-sur-Loing at a Scandinavian artists’ colony outside Paris. It was here two significant things happened. First, he met Karin Bergöö, another Swedish artist and designer, and he began working with watercolors instead of oils.

Even more…

The Larssons had eight children and moved to Little Hyttnäs at Sundborn just outside Falun in Dalarna, a gift from Karin’s father Adolf Bergöö. All of this is central to Larsson’s art. He used his family and their home as the models for a lot of his pieces. They are so beautifully homey, full of light and love. Here is a video of several images of Larsson’s paintings (Karin at the Shore appears at 2:08). I hope you will watch it! In the 1890s, the advancement of color reproduction made Carl and Karin quite successful. Larsson’s favorite works were the frescoes he did in schools, museums, and other public buildings. His Midvinterblot (Midwinter Sacrifice), a 20 ft x 46 ft (6m x 14m) oil painting, was completed in 1915 and was to have been on a wall at the National Museum in Stockholm. Unfortunately, the board of the museum decided they didn’t want it for a variety of reasons. The completed fresco was shown in many different places until it was finally purchased at Sotheby’s and placed in the National Museum in 1992. At that time, the fresco was owned by Hiroshi Ishizuka. In 1997, private donations enabled the museum to purchase the piece from Ishizuka, and it was finally installed where it had always meant to be. Larsson had a stroke in January, 1919 and passed away, at the age of 65, on January 22, 1919.

My interpretation…

When I saw this painting, I was immediately struck by the soft colors of the background as well as the predominance of the blue on Karin’s apron or pinafore. Of course, my eye also saw the orange of the fading lilies in the right foreground. I knew I had the perfect top…or, did I? I bought this top from Johnny Was several years ago and have never found the right way to wear it. I couldn’t remember if it was still in my closet or in my to-be-sold stack (I put it back there but am now rethinking it)! This gorgeous blouse is 100% silk and has these two completely different prints! I actually was drawn to the back more than the front! I decided to wear these linen pants from Old Navy (similar) along with an orange sleeveless top from Talbots (both are old). I love how the front of the top picks out almost all of the colors from the watercolor, and the back really draws on the blues. It really was the perfect top, right?

The Lewk!

I love these Born sandals and wear them (and their sisters) all the time! You can see them here! My necklace and earrings are from Kendra Scott from a couple of years ago. I went easy on the accessories because I wanted the top to be the star of the show!

Affiliate links and such:

Just a reminder that Marsha in the Middle may use an affiliate link. Those links are usually italicized. If you click or make a purchase from an italicized link I provide, I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thank you for your support. I recently became a Brand Ambassador for Sarah Flint shoes. You can use SARAHFLINT-BAMARSHA for $50 off your first pair. As of right now, I also have an affiliate code for Kantha Bae! Use MarshaintheMiddle in the promo code box for $5 off any order (excluding Bestie restocks)! In case you didn’t know, bloggers must disclose the use of affiliate links. That’s why I include this in each post.

Wrap it up, Marsha!

I think this may be my favorite Style Imitating Art piece of art work so far! Of course, I love it because of all of the florals, right? I also like the muted colors as well as how easy it is to understand what is going on in the picture. So, can we talk? Is this something you would hang in your home? What color/colors do you like best in this art work? Should I keep this top or get rid of it? Please leave me a comment or two so we can talk! I promise to answer as soon as possible.

Thank you!

I am so very thankful for each and everyone who reads my blog. A special thank you goes out to my subscribers! Thank you for reading, commenting, and subscribing! It means so much to me!

Where you can find me:

Linking up with Nancy’s Fashion Style, My Bijou LIfe, Fine-Whatever, Is This Mutton, Shelbee on the Edge, Chez Mireile, The Grey Brunette, and Away from the Blue. I also link up with This Blonde’s Shopping Bag, Doused in Pink, Being a Wordsmith, and Mummabstylish. Please check out these wonderful ladies and their blogs! I’m a co-host on the Weekend Traffic Jam (here). I also am a co-host for Ageless Style on the third Thursday of the month and Songful Style on the last Monday of the month. I also co-host Final Friday Print Mixing with Michelle on the last Friday of the month. I do hope you’ll check out all of these blogs and link parties! Boy, that’s a lot of co-hosting!

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