The Painter Bruno Liljefors 1906

Anders Zorn made this oil painting of a fellow painter, Bruno Liljefors, sometime in the late 1800s. The scene is rendered in creamy whites, grays, and browns with a thick, tactile impasto, which brings the snowy landscape to life. I'm thinking about Zorn making this painting and wondering if he and Liljefors were out painting together in the snow? It looks cold out there! You can see the brushstrokes dancing across the canvas, capturing the fleeting effects of light and shadow. It makes me feel like I’m there in that wintry scene with them, feeling that brisk air on my face. The way Zorn handles the paint, building up layers of texture, gives the portrait an almost sculptural quality. It’s like he's not just painting a picture, but also trying to capture something of Liljefors's spirit. This painting is part of a long conversation between artists, each inspiring and challenging the other. It’s a conversation that continues to this day.