A professional graphic designer who uses her background in art history and restoration to create everyday objects you can enjoy in your home or as wearable art. It's a joy to bring the best art and design of ages past into everyday life, plus invitations and DIY party projects. If you don't already share my love for artists and illustrators such as Alphonse Mucha, Edmund Dulac, Beatrix Potter, Carl Larsson and John Tenniel, perhaps you'll discover a new enthusiasm.

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Carl Larsson Name Day at the Storage Shed Fine Art Print



Carl Larsson Name Day Fine Art Print

Carl Larsson Name Day at the Storage Shed 1898

The air of fun and festivity is palpable in this delightful watercolor in which costumed and flower-bedecked children greet their mother with great exuberance on her name day.

Description: The artist's wife, Karin, seated in an alcove, looks up with delight as her seven costumed children present her with flowers and little speeches on her name day. One little fellow appears to have been caught napping, but is springing from bed to join the festivities. Below, at the bottom of the stairs, we catch a partial glimpse of a man playing a violin who, judging by his dress and demeanor, represents the artist himself.

The celebration of name days, a lovely and charming custom, is not so well known in United States. The Church of Sweden promoted the celebration of name days over birthdays, and, as we see here, the associated customs are quite delightful. Carl Larsson's wife, Karin, would have celebrated her name day on August 2 -- a happy thing as so many flowers were available in summer.

This print is intended for matting and framing or may be hung as a poster. The white border makes the mounting and matting process easier if you plan on framing it. If you prefer a bleed poster (no white border), a borderless version is available in my gallery's Art of Carl Larsson Collection.

The default setting here is for the "basic" paper option. Do try out the other paper options and choose the one which suits your taste and budget. The papers with UV protection will give you a longer lasting print, one you can hand down in the family, and I would certainly recommend this option if you plan to hang the print in a sunny location. I would not choose the canvas option myself, as it is not in keeping with this print (the original being watercolour on paper, not oil on canvas).

About the original work of art:
Artist: Carl Larsson
Title: Name Day at the Storage Shed
Date: 1898
Medium: Watercolor

About the artist:Carl Larsson, (b Stockholm, 28 May 1853; d Falun, 22 Jan. 1919) was a Swedish painter, illustrator, printmaker, and writer. His work included numerous portraits and book illustrations, as well as several large murals (the best known are those on Sweden's artistic history in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm, 1896).

Sweden's most beloved artist, he is now remembered mainly for his watercolors of the idyllic life he enjoyed in his now-famous house in the village of Sundborn with his wife Karin and their eight children. In the words of a contemporary critic, "these are altogether charming -- spirited, vivid, original and full of an indescribable freshness and heartiness."

This poster was lovingly prepared for print by a professional graphic artist. This is an ultra-high-resolution file and will print beautifully even at the larger sizes. I have carefully corrected the "haze build up" (the smoke, grease and dust which eventually dulls the orignal artwork) in the manner of an art conservationist (but using digital means and state-of-the-art software) while retaining the charming patina of age. I have also carefully removed stains and fly specks here and there and stray marks incurred after it left the artist's hands, but left the artist's original pencil marks and tiny ink dots alone, as they are part of the original charm of the painting.

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