On Hemsö Island
1917
Medium
Etching; second state of two
Dimensions
Plate: 7 7/8 × 5 7/8 in. (20 × 14.9 cm) Sheet: 15 in. × 11 5/16 in. (38.1 × 28.7 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Dr. Ralph Weiler, 1960
Accession Number
60.563.3
Tags
Art Historical Context
Anders Zorn's *On Hemsö Island (1917) is a captivating etching that exemplifies the Swedish artist's mastery of the female nude in serene natural settings. Created late in Zorn's career—he was a leading figure in late 19th- and early 20th-century art—this second state of two captures women bathing on the rocky shores of Hemsö, a nod to Sweden's coastal landscapes. Zorn, renowned for his luminous portraits, watercolors, and prints, often celebrated the unselfconscious beauty of the female form, blending realism with impressionistic light effects. As an etching, the work showcases Zorn's virtuo...
About the Artist
Anders Zorn · 1860–1920
Anders Zorn (1860–1920), one of Sweden's most celebrated artists, was born on February 18 in Utmeland near Mora in Dalarna, and raised on his maternal grandparents' farm in the nearby hamlet of Yvraden. Displaying prodigious talent from a young age, he attended school in Mora Strand until age twelve, followed by secondary grammar school in Enköping, where he excelled in drawing people and horses. ...