Artwork
The Swan
The Swan is a print by Anders Zorn. It dates from 1915 and is held in the collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art.
About this work
Overview
The Swan, a 1915 print by Anders Zorn, is part of The Cleveland Museum of Art's collection. The work depicts a woman wading in shallow water, captured in a dynamic pose.
Subject & Meaning
The subject, a woman with her body angled sideways, is the central focus. Her interaction with the water and the subtle, suggested landscape behind her imply a serene, everyday moment.
Technique & Style
Zorn employed rapid, crisscrossed lines to convey choppy water and subtle shading to achieve depth. The emphasis on light play on the subject's skin and the water's movement adds to the sense of immediacy.
History & Provenance
Created in 1915, the print is now held in the permanent collection of The Cleveland Museum of Art.
Context
While specific contextual details about the work's creation are not provided, it reflects Zorn's interest in capturing everyday life and the human form in natural settings.
Legacy
The Swan, like much of Zorn's oeuvre, contributes to the understanding of early 20th-century printmaking techniques and the artist's ability to evoke movement and light through minimalist means.
Artist & collection
Artist
Anders Leonard Zorn was born in February 1860 in Mora, Dalarna, the illegitimate son of a Bavarian brewer and a Swedish farmer's daughter; his mother died shortly after his birth, and his grandparents raised him.
