Summer
1907
Medium
Etching on ivory laid paper
Dimensions
Image/plate: 17.8 × 12 cm (7 1/16 × 4 3/4 in.); Sheet: 32.7 × 25.8 cm (12 7/8 × 10 3/16 in.)
Classification
etching
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
55401
Rights
Public Domain
Art Historical Context
Anders Zorn's *Summer* (1907) is a exquisite etching on ivory laid paper measuring 17.8 × 12 cm for the image and plate. Housed in the Art Institute of Chicago's Prints Drawings department, this intimate work exemplifies Zorn's mastery of printmaking during his international peak. The Swedish artist1860–1920), renowned for his luminous portraits, nudes, and landscapes, captured the sensual beauty of light and flesh in natural settings—a theme perfectly suited to this summery title. Zorn Realism with Impressionist influences, drawing from his time in Paris and rural Sweden. As one of the era's greatest etchers, he produced over 130 plates, using fine aquatint and drypoint techniques to achieve velvety textures and sparkling highlights. The ivory laid paper enhances the work's soft glow, mimicking the warmth of sunlight on skin or water, a hallmark of his outdoor scenes. This piece highlights etching's democratic appeal: affordable yet collector-worthy multiples from a single copper plate. Zorn's prints bridged elite painting and popular art, influencing modernists and delighting audiences worldwide. A perfect gem for contemplating summer's fleeting joys! (198 words)
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. ...