Azalea 1906

Carl Larsson made this watercolour, Azalea, probably in the late 19th or early 20th century. It’s a kind of domestic scene, and it feels really immediate, like a moment captured on the fly. The colours are muted, transparent; the paint applied in thin washes. Look at the leaves of the azalea bush. See how the light shines through them? The whole thing has a fluid, airy quality, emphasized by these quick, almost scribbled lines. There is a tension between the delicacy of the azalea flowers and the sharp lines of the weaving loom in the background. It’s a little like Vuillard, domestic but also slightly strange. It reminds me of my own painting process, how I’m always trying to find a balance between representation and abstraction, control and looseness. It’s not always easy, but when it works, it can be magical.