Breakfast in the Open 1913

Carl Larsson painted this scene of an outdoor breakfast probably around the turn of the 20th century using, what looks like, watercolor on paper. It's a light, airy scene, rendered with delicate brushstrokes and a soft, muted color palette. There's a remarkable textural quality to this work. Larsson really knew how to handle his medium, using thin washes to create depth and atmosphere, and then adding just enough opaque detail to bring the scene to life. Look at the way he painted the bark on those birch trees, those vertical stripes creating a rhythm like musical notes. The whole painting has this kind of syncopated beat to it. And then there's that woman in the foreground, leaning against the tree. Something about the way she's rendered, almost ghostly, with her hands clasped behind her back. It reminds me of the paintings of Vilhelm Hammershøi, that same sense of stillness and quiet contemplation, and a similar interest in the way light can transform an ordinary scene into something extraordinary. But with a little less gloom, and a little more hope.