karin larsson
DESCRIPTION
My third year essay.TRANSCRIPT
THE DESIGNER AND HER ROLE IN WHAT WE TODAY CALL THE SWEDISH STYLE
A BRIEF STUDY OF KARIN LARSSON
– The designer and her role in what we today call the Swedish style.
MARTINA DAHL
ITC Report
Martina Dahl
Tutors: Catherine Smith & Darren Raven
BA Design for Graphic Communication
2010
CONTENTS
Introduction
1 Background1:1 Young Karin
1:2 Art Movements of that time
1:3 Karin meets Carl
2 Settling down in Sundborn2:1 Setting the scene
2:2 Regional influences
3 Karin as a designer3:1 A new artistic path and her visual language
3:2 ‘The golden age for textiles’ and Karin at the tapestry loom
3:3 Karin’s design philosophy
3:4 Furniture and clothes
4 The Karin Larsson heritage4:1 Attention drawn to Karin
4:2 Playing a part in the Social Reform and mass production
4:3 The Swedish style & IKEA
5 Conclusion
Bibliography & Images
6
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1112
14
1516
18
22
23
2527
28
31
34
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INTRODUCTION
Karin Larsson is probably unknown to most people
outside Sweden, some might have heard of her as the
wife of Carl Larsson. Karin made and designed textiles
for the home, created a style of clothing for her and
the children, designed furniture and, together with
Carl, decorated their now famous home. 2009 marked
the 150th anniversary of her birth and celebrations
were made through exhibitions, new literature and
articles only focusing on her. The aim of this study is
to look closer at Karin’s visual language and the pieces
she designed. What shaped and inspired Karin as
a designer? What signifies her visual language and her
design philosophy? Further the purpose of the study is
to investigate and interpret her role in the partnership
she created with Carl and by investigating that role,
to see what her part was in what we today refer to as
the Swedish style.
This is a brief investigative study of Karin Larsson.
The study of the subject has mainly been conducted
through a literature review. Both Swedish and English
literature has deliberately been chosen to get a wider
and more nuanced perspective on the subject. Some
literature not only focused on Karin but rather the art
movements of her time has been included to put her in
a historical context. Literature focused on Carl and his
artistry has also provided a source for deeper reflection
upon their partnership. Exhibitions, articles, radio- and
TV-recordings and some online resources have also
added further depth to my research. To complement
the writing a substantial collection of images have
been selected and edited.
INTRO
DU
CTION
KARIN LARSSON
1859 – 1929
BACKGROUND
8
1:1 Young Karin
Karin Larsson, born Karin Bergöö, was born in 1859
into a middle-class family with both money and cultural
interests. The middle-class (bourgeoisie) in Sweden
was very defined by the class itself and their will to be
separated from the working class. There was a ‘romantic’
idea about women being weak, fragile and in need of
protection. A woman was always under the control of
a man; her father, brother or husband. Karin’s parents
weren’t following the norm of that time; they gave
her a happy childhood where they encouraged her to
cultivate her talents, this was shown in their support of her decision to become an
artist; an unusual profession for a woman at the time. She attended the Academy of
Fine Arts in Stockholm, which had been opened for female students in 1864, after
that she went onto Colarossi’s famous art school in Paris. Even though some of the
schools now accepted female students, they were far from equal to the men at the
school whom often still believed that women had nothing to do with art. (Rydin.
2009) Lena Rydin, who has written the chapter about Karin Larsson in the book Carl
and Karin Larsson - Creators of the Swedish style, writes: ‘The life of a woman painter
was tough in the Swedish artists’ colony, which at the turn of the century resembled
a gentlemen’s club.’ (1997. Page 163)
1:2 Art Movements of that time
During this time Sweden enjoyed a renaissance of ‘folk
craft’ and a growing interest in the country’s own past.
For most of the 19th century, the decorative arts in
Europe had been dominated by the re-use of Western
classical styles. However, as a result of colonialism
and trade with other continents, elements from these
cultures started to appear in the applied arts in Europe.
Around 1880 a new, dynamic style developed. This
style was characteristic by its organic forms, stylised
floral compositions and abundant use of curves. Pepin
van Roojen writes in the book Jugendstil: ‘Asian, most notably Japanese, influences
were evident in the shapes and colours, as well as in recurring themes such as fish,
birds, vegetation, clouds and other natural phenomena.’ He then continues: ‘In
France and Belgium, the new style became known as Art Nouveau, in the German-
speaking countries as Jugendstil, in Spain as Modernismo and in Italy Stile Liberty
(after Liberty).’ (2006. Page 4)
A related style, founded by theorists, architects and designers, emerged in
England; it was the Arts and Crafts movement. The movement sought to provide an
alternative code to the harshness of late nineteenth-century industrialism and the
aim was to re-establish a harmony between architect, designer and craftsman and
BACKG
ROU
ND
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KA
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to bring handcraftsmanship to the production of well-designed and affordable
everyday objects. Its leaders encouraged individualism; the creation of hand made
goods instead of machine uniformity. It was a movement focused on domestic design
but lacking a set of rules or one particular recognisable style. The Arts and Craft
movement was an eclectic mix where the influences varied, often according to region.
Artists were advised to turn to nature for inspiration. (Cumming et al. 1993)
In Sweden the late nineteenth century was marked both by social unrest and
the disintegration of peasant society. The bulk of the people lived in the country;
the towns functioned mainly as small centres for trade and crafts. In the 1890s it
was a peripheral country in the north, in the process of being transformed into
a modern industrial nation. The world was becoming more accessible: with improved
communications and press coverage of cultural life, influences were flooding in
from every direction. The interest for the Arts and Craft movement came to Sweden
through Germany and their well-illustrated articles in art journals. A strong drive
to seek national expression in art and architecture developed at the turn of the
century. Swedish architects studied old timber houses and textile designers turned
their interest towards old peasant textiles. Swedish flowers, stylised into ornament,
were a means of expressing national identity for many designers at this time.
(Snodin et al. 1997)
1. Opposite page. A textile
designed by the English
designer Lewis F Day in
1888. Day was a prolific
writer on the Arts and Craft
Movement.
2. Right. A typical peasant
painting from Dalarna,
dated 1820. Flowers
painted in this style are
called ‘Kurbits’ patterns.
10
3. One of the few paintings
by Karin that is saved. This
one was painted in Grez in
1882.
1:3 Karin meets Carl
From Paris Karin went to a little French village called Grez together with a few
other female students. Grez already had a group of artists and authors, mainly
Scandinavians but also Englishmen, Irish and Americans, who lived and worked
there. In the late nineteenth-century a period abroad had been standard part of
cultural education for many artists and authors. But in the 1890s many Nordic
writers and artists returned home again. In Grez she met the artist Carl Larsson and
in June 1883 the couple were married in Stockholm. (Rydin. 2009) Carl and Karin
Larsson then spent the last 15 years of the nineteenth century moving from different
locations in Sweden and travelling abroad. As most artist women of this time,
who had to give up their artistic career once they got married, Karin had stopped
painting. One could imagine the little time left for her artistry; she gave birth to eight
children between the years 1884 and 1900. Karin has often been seen as a victim for
giving up painting and devoting herself to family life, but there is no documentation
suggesting that she considered that a sacrifice. Not many of her paintings survived
so it is impossible to determine how talented she really was as a fine artist. (Snodin
et al. 1997)
BACKG
ROU
ND
‘‘Most artist women of this time, had to give up their artistic career once they got married.’’
SETTLING DOWN IN SUNDBORN
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2:1 Setting the scene
During the first 15 years of their marriage they stayed where Carl could get work
whilst Karin took care of the family, which was constantly growing larger. In 1888
they received Lilla Hyttnäs (The Little Hut on a Point) as a gift from Karin’s father.
The wooden cottage, back then with only two rooms; kitchen, attic, entrance hall
and woodshed, had belonged to his family. The cottage was situated in the village
of Sundborn, circa 238 kilometers northwest of Stockholm. Sundborn is situated in
the region of Dalarna, a province supremely rich in surviving folklore and customs.
Carl and Karin were interested in folk culture and national values but they were
unable to appreciate the little house at first. It was the opposite of their ideal home,
recently painted and wallpapered in the mainstream bourgeois taste of the time, but
they saw the potential in the site itself. After spending only summers and holidays in
the house they made it their permanent home in 1901. (Snodin et al. 1997)
It was now, in Sundborn, Karin could finally settle down to a life in her own
home. Her artistic break was over as her creativity blossomed on all levels at Lilla
Hyttnäs, she created a very welcoming and homely atmosphere. The original small
cottage had quickly turned into a considerable building complex and it grew at
intervals when they built room after room as the need for space arose. The Larssons’
employed no architect or other designer for this work and relied entirely on local
labour and their own sense of style. The old bourgeois interior was quickly swept
away or painted over. The new interiors were rustic, simple and most often of bright
colours. Michael Snodin writes in the Carl and Karin Larsson – Creators of the Swedish
style: ‘some rooms, such as the drawing room, were more formally arranged’, but
all were equally important and the children were allowed everywhere, something
that wasn’t common at the time. He then continues: ‘the same lack of hierarchy lay
behind the combination of furniture of different date and status in the same room,
as well as the alteration of furniture through paint and textiles’. (1997. Page 112)
SETTLING
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IN SU
ND
BORN
‘‘Her creativity blossomed on all levels at Lilla Hyttnäs.’’
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KA
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4. Opposite page, top
right. The exterior of Lilla
Hyttnäs as it looks today
but also has done since
1912 without any major
alterations.
5. Opposite page, bottom
left. Dark and heavy
Bourgeoise-style interior
from an upper middle-
class home in Stockholm,
1891, which bears no
resemblance to the interior
at Lilla Hyttnäs.
6. Right. The bright,
colourful and simple
interior of Lilla Hyttnäs.
The portrait of Karin is
painted on a door by Carl.
Most doors in the house are
decorated with different
family portraits.
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2:2 Regional influences
Carl and Karin quickly became accustomed to the old-fashioned province of
Dalarna. Here, the independent provincial culture had remained strong: folk
costumes (each village had its own) were still often everyday wear. Karin was later
to design Sundborn’s own costume, a design that has remained the same ever since.
The homes in Dalarna were full of colour and ornamental paintings on cupboards,
walls and doors – this was something that the couple copied in their own home and
Karin’s textiles contain many local features. Here women had a strong position and
a tradition to produce and sell craft, often on trips they made themselves outside
of the region. It was during a visit to another small village in Dalarna, in 1890, Karin
learned to spin and weave braid. She later took a short course in weaving. This was
the only training in textiles she had. However, sewing and embroidery was part of
the normal education a middle-class girl got at that time. (Snodin et al. 1997)
7. Top image. A photo taken
in Dalarna 1895. It is Sunday
and people are leaving
church dressed in Sunday
clothing – the regional folk
dress.
8. Bottom image. The
traditional regional dress
for Sundborn which Karin
helped to design.SETTLING
DO
WN
IN SU
ND
BORN
KARIN AS A DESIGNER
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3:1 A new artistic path and her visual language
By the mid 1890s Karin Larsson’s textiles began to
appear in Carl’s series of watercolours Ett Hem (A
Home), and her development as a textile artist can
be followed from year to year in his paintings. It was
through Karin that modernism quietly spread in the Larsson’s home, Carl had
a dislike of modern art. Her gift for co-ordination and styling has become visible
both when expressed through her skill at mixing patterns and colours in her designs
as well as when arranging furniture and flowers in the house into a decorative
whole. Karin and Carl both recognised that they had created the home in Sundborn
together, this we know by following their mutual correspondence. Michael Snodin
writes in the introduction of Carl and Karin Larsson – Creators of the Swedish style:
‘there can be no doubt that Lilla Hyttnäs was the result of an intimate aesthetic
partnership, in which Karin’s remarkable textiles is combined perfectly with Carl’s
painted decorations’. (1997. Page 6) Officially however, within the frames of gender
structures at that time, Carl played down Karin’s role in the creation of the house.
(Snodin et al. 1997)
Karin’s early embroideries contain motifs from everyday life, which at that
time wasn’t common on textiles, but she quickly moved on to more abstract motifs.
Through the many international art magazines still stored in their library we know
that Karin was aware of, and open for, what happened on an artistic level around her
and internationally. Arrows, hearts, baskets, tassels
and hanging balls were all common features in her
textiles. She managed to combine her new ideas with
older traditions when she designed her textiles. Karin
embroidered the ‘family tree’ cloth, which appeared in many of Carl’s paintings,
in 1897. The inspiration is unknown but the pattern represents the family tree. The
cloth is embroidered with a coarse, red thread on white linen. This is a clear and early
example of Karin’s abstract style, a style she was to experiment with and develop
both in embroidery and in tapestries. In the book Carl and Karin Larsson – Creators
of the Swedish style Lena Rydin describes Karin’s visual language:
Karin Larsson’s textile designs have three characteristic features:
boldness, abstraction and simplicity. By contrasting geometric shapes
with plant forms and combining elements of modernism with the soft,
curved forms of Jugendstil, she gave her textiles a sense of lightness and
movement. Her colours were pure, strong and bright. She had many
sources of inspiration, the colours were and free forms derived from
peasant textiles being particularly clear in her cloths, cushions and
woven fabrics. She used stitches from various provinces and took local
textile features. (1997. Page 176)
9. Karin’s tablecloth from
1897 with the abstract
‘family tree’ motif.
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10. Both a snake and
a frog can be found among
stylized flowers
in this woven fabric.
18
3:2 ‘The golden age for textiles’ and Karin at the tapestry loom
Karin was living in a golden age for textiles. As a result such organisations as
Föreningen för Svensk Hemslöjd (The Swedish Handicraft Association) and
Handarbetets Vänner (The Association of Friends of Textile Art) were established.
The latter was formed 1874 to promote Swedish textiles in an ‘artistic and patriotic
spirit’. Between 1890 and 1914 old textiles were collected around Sweden, the patterns
and techniques were copied to inspire new ideas. But even with all this positive
attention given to the work with textiles it was never considered real art. Only now
in modern times has textile arts finally been given the same artistic status as painting
and sculpture. What it did though was to help the birth of modern textile design and
the start of collaboration between artists and weavers. It was through the organisation
Handarbetets Vänner Karin could get her own tapestry loom in the beginning of
1900. This marked a change and development in her work with textiles and her most
creative period, when she produced a number of exceptional textiles, came to be the
years between 1900 and 1910. (Snodin et al. 1997)
She began her first major tapestry in 1903; it was an abstract vision of the ‘Four
Elements’. The colours were vibrant and the piece was marked by a personal and
artistic imagination. Each element, earth, fire, water and air, are shown as abstract
patterns and the centre motif can be interpreted both as a cross and a maypole. Karin
often had a specific place in the house in mind when she designed a new piece. The
‘Four Elements’ decorated the space above the sofa in the brightly coloured dining
11. The tapestry ‘Four
elements’ and in the sofa
the ‘Sunflower’ cushion.
The traditionally woven
fabric on the sofa seat is
not made by Karin.
room. Designed for the sofa beneath the tapestry was the ‘Sunflower Cushion’, which
she embroidered in 1905. A sunflower is divided between the four corners of the blue
linen fabric, merely suggesting its whole. Lena Rydin writes in Karin Larssons Värld
‘The abstraction of the subject was advanced for this period, when members of the
professional organisation Handarbetets vänner (The Association of Friends of Textile
Art) were still mainly doing floral compositions’. (2009. Page129)
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In 1909 a curtain between the couple’s separate bedrooms first appeared in Carl’s
paintings. It was the curtain ‘Rose of Love’, a gift to Carl from Karin. The curtain
is one of her most remarkable textiles, a tapestry with the elegant central motif
surrounded by macramé in many different types of interlacing patterns. It had to
be accurate and cleverly done since it is visible from two rooms and also had to let
the light flow into Carl’s dark room. Lena Rydin describes the pattern like this in
Karin Larssons Värld: ‘the wavy lines of the ground give life to the curtain and the
stylised rose reaches up from the ground towards the sun. A little serpent, the enemy
of love, coils around the stem’. (1997. Page 174) It is woven and knotted in a macramé
technique, something never seen in Sweden before, and she gave no clues to where
she had got the inspiration from. Many of her most remarkable pieces were gifts to
Carl; and he was quick to include them in his paintings. (Snodin et al. 1997)
12. The tapestry ‘Rose of
Love’ that Karin made for
Carl in 1909.
‘‘Many of her most remarkable pieces were gifts to Carl; and he was quick to include them in his paintings.’’
20
13. This page. A closer look
at the ‘Sunflower cushion’.
Made with a combination
of simple stitches but
the colour combination
blue and yellow was very
unusual at this time.
14. Opposite page. The
dining room at Lilla
Hyttnäs where the ‘Four
Elements’ tapestry is the
focal point. Also note the
clever solution of how to
keep the cushions on the
chairs with the leather
bands.
KA
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223:3 Karin’s design philosophy
Karin’s approach to design was economical and humorous and she was always open
to unexpected ideas. The cloth made for the table in the library is an example of this.
While Karin was working on it one day, her daughter Brita came in eating a pear, she
begged: ‘Mummy, weave in my pear’, and the pear got a place on the tapestry. The
tapestry was sewn on to a coarse, white cloth and since the decorative motif, a stylised
insect grasping a black and white border, was complicated Karin was content with
only putting it on the visible, short side of the cloth. This is how Lena Rydin describes
her way of working in Carl and Karin Larsson – Creators of the Swedish style:
Both her techniques and compositions were sometimes amateurish. She
was generous with feeling, composed freely, and changed her mind during
the course of her work. She often invented her own stitches. There were
jumps in the woven fabric, and the backs of her cushions and cloths were
often untidy. Details and symmetry were of less importance to her than
a sense of the whole. She wanted the ‘hand to be visible’. (1997. Page 175)
Karin’s economical approach to design can also be seen in the way she re-used
fabrics. She left nothing to waste; everything is patched and mended. For example
she tore the children’s clothes when they were all outgrown to make rag-rugs, saying
she was weaving with ‘threads of many memories’. Everything in their home was
being used and had a purpose. The relatively small rooms in the house sometimes
required clever and practical solutions in order to not waste any space, furniture
was even built to fit into some, specially small, corners. (Snodin et al. 1997) In 1901
she designed the Sundborn blanket, which shows another aspect of her economical
thinking; ‘the intention was that the women of Sundborn could weave these to make
a little money’ claims Lena Rydin in the same book as above. (1997. Page 177)
KA
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15. Above. The cloth made
for the table in the library
complete with the pear in
the left corner.
16. Details in the
‘Sundborn blanket’ that
Karin designed in 1901.
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RSSON
3:4 Furniture and clothes
Karin’s design skills were not only expressed in her weaving and embroidery. Already
by 1890 she had designed a remarkable plant stand. Other objects designed by her was
a chandelier and children’s beds. In 1906 she designed ‘a rough and heavy rocking chair
and a square table for the new studio, pieces in which the function was obvious and the
construction was not concealed’. (Rydin. 1997) A local carpenter made the furniture after
her instructions, and according to the Larsson family was the rocking chair delivered after
dark since he thought it was so ugly. ‘The chair and the table resembled the late Jugendstil
furniture, which was being designed in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe’ Rydin continues
and then she points out that ‘they were clearly homemade, but the style was new and avant-
garde, quite different from the otherwise decorative furniture in the home’. (1997. Page 178)
The furniture she designed was very functional and modern.
17. Above. The children’s
bed Karin designed. The
only one of Karin’s designs
to be mentioned by Carl in
his writings as having been
conceived by her.
18. Right. The rocking chair
Karin designed in 1906 was
originally painted bright
red but has faded into a
shade of yellow.
19. Right. Karin in one of
the loose-fitted dresses
designed by herself.
24
Karin had the same modern approach to clothes as she had to her textiles. In Carl’s
paintings from the 1890s onwards, we can see her wearing dresses ‘in a flowing
style so distinctive that it has acquired the status of a Karin Larsson model’ as Lena
Rydin describes them in her book Karin Larssons Värld. (2009. Page 92) A reason
for the loose style of dress could be her numerous pregnancies but it wasn’t many
women who dared to go against the accepted fashion since loosely hanging dresses
were associated with ‘loose’ morals The cut of clothes around the turn of the century
accentuated a tiny waist and required corsets. Karin added fashionable details of the
time, such as stand-up collars and leg-of-mutton sleeves, to draw attention from the
loose cut and this created a modest impression. She made the dresses a bit shorter in
the front to make walking easier. (Rydin. 2009)
Karin also created comfortable clothes for the children. Children had been
dressed like small adults for a long time but around the turn of the century more
comfortable children’s fashion began to appear. Karin was in the forefront, designing
appropriate and individual clothes for her children. Rydin writes that she was for
example inspired by English style, writing to her mother: ‘I’m going to dress our
children in the English style, it looks so practical.’ (2009. Page 97) She used simple,
robust fabrics but was happy to mix patterns in a modern way, something that was
characteristic of her approach both in clothing design and interior decoration. Aprons
were used, both by Karin and the children, to protect the clothes and minimize the
laundry. Clothes were amended time after time and when worn out the fabric was
reused for the rag-rugs as I have written before, Karin did this even when the family
were relatively wealthy. (Rydin. 2009)
20. Above. The youngest
son, Esbjörn, dressed in
comfortable clothes.
21. Top left. The girl is
Lisbeth, their fourth child.
The stripy part of the dress
is the apron.
22. Bottom left. Karin
wearing one of her dresses
complete with an apron.
Painting by Carl from 1908.
KA
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THE KARIN LARSSON HERITAGE
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THE K
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ERITAG
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4:1 Attention drawn to Karin
Karin Larsson’s art was relatively unknown during her lifetime. Everything she
designed was either portrayed in the paintings by Carl or saved in the house and
this made her one of the most well recorded female artists of her time. Her designs
were so well composed and styled in the home, often in the places they were made
for, that they naturally blended right in and only became part of a whole. Karin
died in 1928 and it took nearly forty years before attention was drawn to her work
in a few publications of the 1960s. The feminist movement sought to enlighten
the public about late female artists that had been forgotten in the shadow of
their male counterparts. Her textiles were seen with fresh eyes, and the amateur
Karin was suddenly ranked among the foremost early textile creators. The head
of Handarbetets Vänner in the 1960s, Edna Martin, spoke of her as a pioneer in
Swedish textile design. In the 1960s a big task of inventorying all her textiles took
place. Today the original, bleached and worn, pieces are stored away from the public
at Lilla Hyttnäs and exact replicas has been made to give the visitor a more accurate
feeling of what they once looked like. No one has yet made any larger studies on
Karin Larsson – to place and investigate her role in the Swedish history of textile
design. (Rydin. 2009)
4:2 Playing a part in the Social Reform and mass production
Attention was drawn to Lilla Hyttnäs, through the books that Carl published with
his watercolours series as well as his status as a famous painter, already whilst Karin
and Carl were alive. The socialist reformer and writer Ellen Key chose their home as
an example when talking about a new, beautiful yet simple, home environment. It was
after seeing Carl Larsson’s watercolour series A Home exhibited at the The General
Art and Industrial Exposition of Stockholm in 1897 Key wrote the essay Beauty for all.
Key’s idea of beauty was a light, sun-filled home where everything should answer to
the purpose it was intended for and where family life without hierarchy was the focus.
A large number of people, mainly in the cities, still lived under poor and overcrowded
conditions. Lilla Hyttnäs came to inspire others, both as a family idyll and ideal
home. Lena Rydin writes how the ‘Larsson style was not only a new fashion in interior
decoration but signalled a new lifestyle: child-friendly, positive and inexpensive’ in
the book Carl and Karin Larsson – Creators of the Swedish Style. (1997. Page 169)
23. Opposite page. The
drawing room at Lilla
Hyttnäs. This room is
different from the others
with its light colour scheme
and ‘Gustavian’ furniture.
24. ‘The flower window’
from 1894 from the
watercolour series Ett
Hem. The painting shows
their eldest daughter
watering plants in the
famous drawing room.
28
25. An interior from the
Swedish IKEA catalogue of
1996. The large, child-
friendly table, the plants and
the colour scheme reminds
us of Lilla Hyttnäs.
The economy in Sweden improved after the Second World War, and thousands
of small modern flats and houses were now built. The Larsson ideal; unpretentious,
family centred, and carried out in small light rooms economically furnished, was
now found to fit the needs and conditions of modern life. In the 1960s companies
like IKEA started their mass production of well-designed interiors and early referred
back to the Larsson’s home as a source of inspiration. This also coincided with the
ending of copyright on Carl Larsson’s images in 1969, 50 years after his death, which
led to mass reproduction of his paintings. Despite the fact that this ‘cheapening
process’ has made some people speak of the idyllic ‘Larsson style’ in a negative way
it hasn’t stopped designers, decorators and homemakers, in Sweden and beyond, to
look at Lilla Hyttnäs over and over again for ideas and references. (Snodin et al. 1997)
4:3 The Swedish style & IKEA
In the exhibition at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London 1997, a whole room
was dedicated to Karin and her textiles. For the first time internationally she was
portrayed as a co-creator of their famous home. Attention had now been drawn to
the way Karin came up with many practical solutions for a small house filled with
children and the way she influenced the character of the rooms. It was surely she who
devised all the details of space, children, textiles and flowers, while Carl recorded
them in his colourful, light-filled painting. The exhibition was given the name ‘Carl
and Karin Larsson – Creators of the Swedish Style. Lena Rydin refers to an article in
The Sunday Times Magazine published at the time of the exhibition that stated that
the Larsson’s influence on the twentieth century design has been immense. ‘Their
unique mix of fantasy and functionality became the essence of Scandinavian design
and their influence can be seen everywhere from Habitat to IKEA.’ (2009. Page 73)
THE K
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LARSSO
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ERITAG
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‘‘Lilla Hyttnäs came to inspire others, both as a family idyll and ideal home.’’
29
KA
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26. Above. Another IKEA
interior. The carpets seem
to have been inspired by
the carpets in the drawing
room at Lilla Hyttnäs.
The Swedish style and sometimes more specifically the ‘Larsson style’ has with
the success of IKEA reached people all over the world. In the BBC TV programme
from 1997, Trouble in Paradise, we learn that new managers joining IKEA outside
Sweden are being taught the story of Carl and Karin Larsson and their home. On the
IKEA website we can read that ‘the IKEA product range – modern but not trendy,
functional yet attractive, people-focused and child-friendly’ – carries on Swedish
home furnishing traditions that Carl and Karin was pioneering. Lilla Hyttnäs is
always described as a cosy and welcoming home, most likely this is due to being
a personally decorated home which bears all sign of people living in the space. IKEA
has obviously reflected upon this when they make their catalogue. The styled home
images in the catalogue include people, resembling ordinary families engaging in
everyday activities, just as in Carl’s paintings. If you browse the IKEA range throughout
the years many pieces instantly makes you think of something that Karin designed.
The rocking chair Lillberg, designed by Nike Karlsson, is so similar to the one Karin
designed in 1906 that it started a discussion of whether it was a matter of plagiarism.
27. Above right. Lillberg
rocking chair from the IKEA
catalogue.
30
28. An interior from the
2010 IKEA catalogue. The
white and blue colour
combinations, the light and
the rag-rugs on the floor
makes me think of Lilla
Hyttnäs.
THE K
ARIN
LARSSO
N H
ERITAG
E
CONCLUSION
32
5. Conclusion
Lena Rydin describes Karin as the first modern designer in Sweden, a trendsetter
in every sense. In an article published in ELLE Interiör earlier this year the author
doesn’t agree but believes that Karin was a very skillful interior decorator, then
continues; that the constant return to the ‘Larsson style’ has a negative effect on
the development of Swedish design and designers. Both of these opinions show the
impact of the ‘Larsson style’, now closely associated with ‘The Swedish style’. The
label ‘Swedish style’ is often used in a positive way abroad and the attention it
has drawn to Swedish designers is something that has nurtured the industry.
The discussion might be whether this prevents a designer from trying something
completely different, afraid it might be overlooked when not fitting into the frames
of what is expected, and thus eventually stops the development of Swedish design
or if it helps them to constantly bring Swedish design forward when having such
a strong and defined base to build upon. I believe, from the facts I have looked at,
that we can compare this to what Karin and Carl did – they clearly turned away
from the bourgeoisie trend, chose other styles that they mixed together and from
that eclectic mix they composed something that was viewed as a new style, a style
we today regard as the traditional Swedish style.
Karin’s part of this was foremost through her textiles, furniture and the way she
styled her surroundings. Her designs were an eclectic mix, bold and practical, now
described as modern and ahead of time. The folklore traditions and aesthetics of the
region seemed to be of importance to her as well as an inspiration, but since she came
from a different social background and class she could view it with fresh eyes and
wasn’t bound to old traditions. She mixed folklore, geometric shapes, strong colours,
and elements taken from the international art scene. Today when we look at Karin’s
work through our own perspective I believe we perceive it as modern due to the way
she created her own style through this fearless mix, something we see designers do
today. Through the documentation of her pieces in Carl’s paintings we can follow her
progression as a designer as well as her part in shaping their home.
I believe that Karin often is talked about from the perspective used by the feminist
movement in the 1960s when they wanted to highlight her role in the ‘Larsson legacy’.
CON
CLUSIO
N
33
KA
RIN LA
RSSON
She is often seen as a victim, overshadowed by her husband, due to the fact that she
had to stop painting. Karin may have given up painting but she never gave up her
artistry for long. After reading about Karin I believe that the perception of her as
a victim is too simplistic. Obviously her gender restricted Karin’s life as an artist,
but she found her own artistic field and made the most of it. When designing things
for her own family and house, a safe and permitting area were no critics or public
opinions reached, she was left alone to experiment and develop all her talents and
skills. Karin’s artistry must also be looked upon as one part of the close artistic
relationship she created with Carl, which is well documented and most likely as
important for both of them.
There are different ways to reflect upon their aesthetic partnership. It is certain
that Carl always documented Karin’s work in his paintings thus more documented
and spread than any other female artist at that time. Another point of view is the
fact that Karin was the one suggesting Carl would start to paint family life in their
home. She was also the stylist who carefully arranged textiles, children and flowers
when Carl brought out his brushes. The watercolour series ‘Ett Hem’ is what gave
Carl Larsson world fame and the home was something created by both of them. This
way it is hard to define their individual roles in the creation of the ‘Larsson style’ and
no matter if you think their legacy is something to cherish or not, it’s certain that
the visual language and home philosophy Carl and Karin spoke of has today become
associated with a whole nation.
29. Opposite page. Karin at
the tapestry loom working
on the ‘Rose of Love’
curtain.
30. Above. An early 18th
century chair is painted
bright blue and combined
with a bright orange woven
fabric in the seat. This is an
example of how they mixed
old with new styles in a
very unusual way.
‘‘Karin may have given up painting but she never gave up her artistry for long.’’
34
Books
Rydin, Lena. 2009. Karin Larssons Värld. Bonnier Fakta. Italy
Fiell, Charlotte and Peter. 2002. Scandinavian Design. Taschen. Italy.
Cumming, Elisabeth and Kaplan, Wendy. 1993. The Arts and Craft Movement.
Thames and Hudson. Singapore.
Pevsner, Nikolaus. Pioneers of Modern Design. 2004. Yale University Press. China.
Snodin, Michael and Stavenow-Hidemark, Elisabet. Carl and Karin Larsson –
Creators of the Swedish style. 1997. V & A Publications. Italy.
Klein, Barbro and Widbom, Mats. Swedish Folk Art. 1994. Harry N. Abrams, Inc.,
Publishers. Japan.
Hård af Segerstad, Ulf. Carl Larsson’s Home. 1975. Granath & Hård af Segerstad
Förlagsproduktion. Stockholm.
Larsson, Carl. Ett hem åt solsidan. 1975. Albert Bonniers förlag. Sweden.
Robinson, Michael. International Arts and Craft. 2005. Flame Tree Publishing.
Singapore.
Van Roojen, Pepin. Jugendstil. 2006. The Pepin Press. Singapore.
Perry, Linda. Textiles of the Arts and Craft Movement. 1988. Thames and Hudson.
London
Larsson, Carl. A Home. 2008. Floris Books. Poland.
Larsson, Carl. A Family. 2007. Floris Books. Poland.
Swahn, Jan Öjvind. Bra Böckers Lexikon 5. 1975. Bra Böcker. Helsingborg
Taschen, Angelika. Sweden Style. 2005. Taschen. China
Online
Tuesday 6 October 2009 17.45
http://www.dn.se/kultur-noje/konst-form/stilbildaren-1.909869
www.carllarsson.se
Friday 4 December 2009 20.11
http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/about_ikea/the_ikea_way/swedish_heritage/index.
html
Online radio archive
Thursday 8 October 2009 21.30
http://www.sr.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=1602&Artikel=2815835
Video
Dames, Jenny. Trouble in Paradise. 1997. BBC.
Exhibitions
Lilla Hyttnäs, The home of Carl and Karin Larsson, Sundborn, Dalarna, Sweden.
”Stilikonen Karin 150 år” Kvarnen, Sundborn, Dalarna, Sweden.
”Åt solsidan på Sofiero”, Sofiero Slott, Helsingborg, Sweden
Magazines and Catalogues
Lewenhaupt, Lotta. ELLE Interiör. April 2009. Page 54
2010 IKEA Catalogue.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BIBLIOG
RA
PHY &
IMA
GES
35
KA
RIN LA
RSSON
From Karin Larssons Värld
Image number Original page number
3 63
5 68
8 59
9 130
10 104
12 103
13 151
15 131
19 139
20 10
29 127
From Carl and Karin Larsson – Creators of the
Swedish style
Image number Original page number
11 173
16 177
17 178
18 178
22 180
25 229
26 228
30 195
From www.carllarsson.se
Image number
4, 14, 23
From Swedish Folk Art
Image number Original page number
7 78
From Sweden Style
Image number Original page number
6 182
From Bra Böckers Lexikon 5
Image number Original page number
2 137
From Textiles of the Arts and Craft Movement
Image number Original page number
1 22
From A Home
Image number Original page number
24 15
From A Family
Image number Original page number
21 Cover
From 2010 IKEA Catalogue
Image number Original page number
27 40
28 29
IMAGES
Image sources