The stable 1906

Carl Larsson made ‘The Stable’ as a watercolour painting, and what I love about watercolour, and what Larsson’s use of it shows, is its immediacy. You don’t get the feeling that Larsson labored over this thing for hours. The stable is a mix of soft edges and hard lines, light washes of color and denser areas of tone. Look at the way the hay is painted. It's not about rendering every single strand, but rather giving you a sense of its texture and volume. In artmaking, that is a process. Its about trying to find the essential information you need to make an image. My eye is drawn to the sleeping cat in the foreground, curled up in the hay. It’s rendered with a few deft strokes, yet it conveys a sense of warmth and comfort. A small thing, but it anchors the whole composition, doesn't it? Larsson reminds me of Bonnard, whose paintings feel similarly intimate and personal. They remind us that art is not just about grand statements, but also about capturing the fleeting moments of everyday life.