Many artists paint self-portraits over the course of their careers. We see them as they want to be seen, prominent in society, in rich clothing, perhaps holding a symbol of their importance.
In one of his self-portraits, “Brita and Me (self-portrait)” (1895), Swedish artist Carl Larsson (1853–1919) stands, feet spread, on a worn plank floor. He is decked out in a blue suit lined in red and wears an expression of pure joy, for on his shoulders he carries the symbol of his importance—his child.
You can hear the artist’s daughter Brita laugh as she shows her delight to be on her dad’s shoulders, as most children are; she twists her hands in a carefree way that shows complete trust that her father will keep her from falling. While balancing his daughter with one hand, Larsson delicately holds a tiny artist’s brush in the other.
Idyllic Childhood, Not
Larsson was deprived of a loving and caring family growing up. He lived in poverty and was abused by a father who kicked him out, along with his brother and his mother. His mother took her young sons to live in a small room they shared with two other families.In his autobiographical novel, “Jag,” Larsson wrote that “penury, filth and vice thrived there, leisurely seethed and smoldered, eaten-away and rotten bodies and souls.”
However, early on, his artistic ability was recognized, and he was given art lessons. He moved to Paris when he grew up to learn more and sharpen his skills. There he met his wife, Karin, who specialized in interior design. After they married, the couple returned to Sweden.
A Model Family That Modeled
Larsson’s skill as an artist provided his family of eight with a loving and secure home. His children were his favorite models, and he painted them often. He portrayed the children in their activities during the day and on special days throughout the year.He often did individual portraits of his children. “Esbjorn Doing His Homework” (1910) shows exactly the opposite: Esbjorn is not doing his homework but is thinking of other things as a breeze drifts in from the open window. The young man looks out with a dreamy look, while a mirror reflects an image of his father painting the scene. The portrait of Esbjorn as a baby on his mother’s lap (1900) shows how satisfied he is to grab that funny appendage, his toe. His smile says it all. He has it and he’s not giving it up.
"Esbjorn Doing His Homework," 1910, by Carl Larsson. Watercolor on paper. Private collection. Public Domain
"Esbjorn," 1900, by Carl Larsson. Watercolor on paper. Gothenburg Museum of Art. Public Domain
The portrait of his daughter Lille Matts (1912) shows a little girl bundled in warm red woolens from head to toe. Her expression shows an eagerness to get outside; she is ready to feel the cold on her cheeks.
"Lille Matts Larsson," 1912, by Carl Larsson. Watercolor on paper. The National Museum of Sweden. Public Domain
Christmas is one of the main feast days of the Swedish calendar, and it is a happy time for the Larsson family. Larsson’s watercolor “Christmas Morning” (1894) shows his children playing with their presents. One can almost hear the little one in the foreground dropping stones in a little pail; the older boy behind a Viking sailboat on the left pulls on skates that can be used very soon. A girl on the right leans forward in a chair, her hands carefully running over the smooth pages of her new book. Then there is the thespian standing on the creaking bed, still in bedclothes, giving orders to his soldiers with great gusto; behind him, the child’s smile says it all: she loves her gift. The room smells of pine branches strewn about. Each child enjoys the pleasures of the season in his or her own way.
"Christmas Morning," 1894, by Carl Larsson. Watercolor on paper. Unknown owner. (Public Domain)
Self-Portrait of a Father
Larsson painted several portraits of himself at work. “Self-Portrait With Brita” (1898) shows him with one of his children in his lap as he paints. All we see is the child’s face under a tousled head of hair, perhaps just up from a nap. The child rests quietly in her father’s lap, and Larsson appears very content to have the little one with him. It’s clear that his art has its importance in the context of the family.
"Self-Portrait With Brita," 1898, by Carl Larsson. Private collection. Public Domain
Sometimes Larsson made a self-portrait in which he’s nowhere to be found, but we know he’s there because his daughter sees him just outside the canvas. In his watercolor “Peek-a-Boo” (1901), it’s easy to miss the little one peeking out from a red bench in dad’s room. His cane leans on the opposite chair, and his hat rests over papers on the table. His artist’s paintbrushes are neatly bunched in a tall ceramic jar on the carved desk. We see expectation in the child’s face waiting for the artist, who is also her dad, to reappear.
“Peek-a-Boo,” 1901, by Carl Larsson. Watercolor on paper. Private collection. Public Domain
Another self-portrait (1906) shows the artist squeezing, of all things, the fabric on a harlequin doll. Larsson is telling us what’s important to him. The artist holding a silly doll gives insight into the childlike mind of the painter. Happiness comes from creating a world that children can enjoy.
Lively Watercolors
Although the artist made oil paintings, his creative juices flowed through his watercolors, and this medium gave him his greatest success. The bright transparency of the medium worked well with his wife’s designs on the walls and doors. German publisher Karl Robert Langewiesche published Larsson’s watercolors and drawings in “Das Haus in der Sonne” (“The House in the Sun”) in 1909. The book became a bestseller with 40,000 copies sold in three months; there have been over 40 print runs since.
Self-Portrait, 1906, by Carl Larsson. Watercolor on paper; 37.6 inches by 24.21 inches; Uffizi Gallery-Florence, Florence, Italy. Public Domain
The artist’s autobiographical novel, “Jag,” did not reach the fame of other literary works, such as James Joyce’s “Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,” but this memoir expressed what his family meant to him. His family and home “became the most immediate and lasting part of my life’s work. For these pictures are of course a very genuine expression of my personality, of my deepest feelings, of all my limitless love for my wife and children.”
Often referred to as Sweden’s most beloved artist, Carl Larsson valued his family as much as his work. His children were as much works of creativity as the paintings, watercolors, and prints he produced of them. Larsson died in Falun, Sweden, at the age of 65.
