Red sand 1903

Anders Zorn made this little oil painting, sometime in the late 19th, early 20th century, and I'm immediately drawn to how he uses these warm, earthy tones to create a sense of atmosphere. It's like the whole scene is bathed in this reddish-brown light, which gives it a really sensual feel. Up close, you can see how Zorn worked the paint – not too thick, but definitely present. The strokes around the leaves and the figure are loose, almost gestural. Check out the way he's suggested the foliage, it feels so alive! Then there's the red sand itself, it has this almost luminous quality, like it's radiating heat. Zorn reminds me a little of someone like Corinth, who also had a knack for capturing fleeting moments with a kind of painterly energy. Ultimately, paintings like this remind us that art is about capturing a feeling, an experience, more than just a literal representation. It's an invitation to get lost in the world that the artist has created.