Dragö, Sweden 1892

Anders Zorn painted this watercolor, Dragö, Sweden, in 1892. Here, Zorn translates a specific location into something approaching pure atmosphere. What does it mean to paint a place? To make it art? In 19th-century Europe, landscape painting was often bound up with national identity. Artists sought to capture the essence of their homelands. But this painting is something different. Zorn had trained at the Swedish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, an institution focused on history painting. He became known, however, as a society portraitist. In Dragö, Sweden, we see Zorn experimenting. He asks whether painting can be about the direct recording of sensory experience. Perhaps it's in the contrast between Zorn's early training and later interests that we find a way to understand this painting. Art history is always a story of institutions, expectations, and individual choices. To learn more, explore the archives of the Swedish Royal Academy or consider the history of landscape painting in Europe.