Opal
Artist
Anders Leonard Zorn
(Swedish, 1860–1920)
Date1891
Mediumoil on canvas
Dimensionscanvas: 100.3 × 69.5 cm (39 1/2 × 27 3/8 in.)
framed (no buildout): 127 × 94.6 × 5.1 cm (50 × 37 1/4 × 2 in.)
framed (no buildout): 127 × 94.6 × 5.1 cm (50 × 37 1/4 × 2 in.)
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Marianne and John Jeppson
Terms
Object number1986.59
Label TextSweden's leading painter at the turn of the century, Zorn traveled and painted extensively, both in Europe and the United States; however, it was at Mora, his hometown, that he created some of his best works. The title of this picture refers to the rainbow of colors reflecting off the lake near Mora. Zorn took an informal approach to the traditional theme of the nude in the landscape by placing the figures at lower left, facing the distance. Working in the Impressionist style, he used pure, broken color to achieve brilliance and luminosity and free brushwork to convey the transitory nature of the subject. In this scene, which gives the impression of being painted directly from nature, the artist focused on the light as it falls on the women and their lush surroundings.ProvenanceFaure Collection, Paris (?); to A. Jacobsen Collection; to C. E. Fritzes Kungl. Hovbokhandel, Stockholm; purchased by George N. Jeppson in 1920s; to Marianne and John Jeppson of Worcester, MA; gifted to the Worcester Art Museum, 1986.On View
Not on view
