In Werner's Rowing Boat 1917

Anders Zorn made this oil painting of a woman on a boat sometime in his life. It's all buttery brushstrokes, loose and confident, full of warm peach tones. I love thinking about the moment the artist decided, "Okay, that's done." What was Zorn feeling then? Satisfaction? Relief? Doubt? Maybe he was just hungry. I often wonder this when I look at paintings. Look at how Zorn models the body with color, using these warm hues to convey the weight and volume of the figure. Then he balances the composition with blues and browns. There's a kind of boldness in the brushwork, a directness that feels so present, as if you're there in the boat with her. Artists learn from each other, you know? They borrow, steal, and riff off each other. It is all part of a long conversation. We are lucky to be privy to it.