Anders Zorn Tapestries

Illustration: Anders Zorn. Dalecarlian Scene tapestry panel, 1909

Anders Zorn the Swedish fine art painter is probably better known outside of his native Sweden, as that of an accomplished and highly successful nineteenth and early twentieth century portrait painter. Zorn travelled widely in both Europe and North America and his portraits made him wealthy and acclaimed. However, as if a tonic for the often unrewarding profession of portrait painter, Zorn had a keen interest in the traditions of his native Sweden. The representation of both a rural and traditional basis of life in Sweden became more important to him as his life and career progressed, so that nearer the end of his life the subject of the traditions of Swedish life and culture became much more acute.

Zorn produced a number of compositions with subject matter that were based on the ordinary traditions of rural life in Sweden. These came in a number of disciplines, most admittedly within fine art painting, but some within the traditionally strong Swedish discipline of textiles. This was not particularly unusual for the period as many fine artists were keen to be seen as pan-discipline workers, producing efforts not only in textiles, but also that of ceramics, metal, glass and wood. That much of this work was art rather than design based did often limit the results, but it is still interesting to note the results of the process of a fine art sensibility being transposed into craft or design.

The examples shown here are relatively straightforward transpositions from a fine art origin to that of woven tapestry. Although there is no overly unique interpretation from Zorn, it is interesting to note how he has interpreted his compositions towards a textile based medium. The work has all the appearance of a graphic based dimension, with figures and backgrounds appearing both fresh and spontaneous, giving the impression of an element of contemporary vitality and spontaneity to the traditional rural scenes. Admittedly, this is not always the impression that has been immediately connected to either rural or traditional lifestyles, particularly by those of a more urban disposition.

Illustration: Anders Zorn. Dalecarlian Scene tapestry panel, 1909

All three tapestries are connected and should by rights be seen as a triptych of panels showing various aspects of the one theme. That theme was to illustrate the life lived in the Dalecarlian region of Sweden. Dalecarlia or Dalarna, is an area of the country that had become associated since at least the mid-nineteenth century as being in some respects, the heartland of both Sweden and its culture.  The native Arts & Crafts movement was particularly interested in using Dalecarlia as a metaphor for all that was considered vital in preserving and prolonging the traditions of Swedish life.

Perceived heartlands were a particular necessity for a number of Arts & Crafts movements, more so in Europe than elsewhere. Specific regions and areas were often interpreted as literal vaults containing the uncontaminated traditions and root culture of a nation. Although much of this was clearly romantically misplaced sentiment, it does not change the fact that areas like Dalecarlia became the subject of intense retrospection and rich subject matter for a wide ranging list of creative individuals that included fine artists, designers, craftspeople, photographers, critics, musicians and writers.

These particular pieces by Zorn were even displayed at the 1909 Exhibition of Swedish Applied Art that took place in the capital, Stockholm. Zorn was not the only fine artist represented at the Exhibition, a number of popular and well-placed names in both Swedish fine art and design were represented such as Alfred Wallander, Carl Larsson and Gunnar Wennerberg. Zorn's tapestry work can be seen as a fine example of both the traditions of Swedish craft and culture, along with the sensibilities of a contemporary artist to those traditions.

Illustration: Anders Zorn. Dalecarlian Scene tapestry panel, 1909

Anyone interested in good selection of the fine art work produced by Zorn during his career might wish to follow the link to the Anders Zorn website which can be found below in the Reference links section, along with some relevant books on Zorn that can be found on Amazon.com.

Reference links:
Anders Zorn website
Anders Zorn
Anders Zorn Rediscovered
ANDERS ZORN, His Life and Work
Nationalism and the Nordic Imagination: Swedish Art of the 1890s
Greeting Cards: Anders Zorn Paintings
Anders Zorn In the Woods 19 1/2 x 15 1/2 Print
Anders Zorn 1860-1920: An Introduction to His Life and Achievements
The Prints of Anders Zorn
Anders Zorn 
The Etchings of Anders Zorn: From the Collection of the Springfield Art Museum
Dagmar, 1911 Giclee Poster Print by Anders Leonard Zorn, 24x32

Frida Hansen Tapestry Design

 Illustration: Frida Hansen Tapestry door hanging 1900

In her tapestry work the Norwegian designer Frida Hansen wisely interpreted the discipline as woven painting. In so many cases over the centuries the composition, if not the technique of tapestry weaving, has followed a fine art route often using cartoons or reinterpretations of well established fine artists whose work was more used to being seen on canvas.

The tapestry piece shown here was produced by Hansen for the 1900 Exposition Universelle held in Paris. It was actually made by Det Norske Billedvoeveri (The Norwegian Weaving Society) whose artistic director was none other than Hansen. It was awarded a gold medal at the Exposition, one of the reasons for which was the technique of construction itself. Hansen pioneered her own interpretation of what she termed transparent weaving. This involved leaving some of the areas of the warp exposed and therefore under woven, as opposed to the conventionally woven areas. The two contrasting areas of weaving were also often separated colour wise, so that for example, conventionally woven areas would be highly coloured, while the seemingly transparent areas would be more subdued colour wise. By also using the composition to reflect these changes, such as using a transparent background and a conventionally woven foreground, spectacular results could be achieved. 

This particular tapestry door hanging or door curtain was meant to hang within a door entrance space where the full effect of the semi-transparency of the woven piece could be appreciated in its entirety. It must have been very effective and impressive at the Exposition, so much so that the V&A purchased the piece in Paris in 1900 and has been in their collection ever since. Unfortunately the work was never particularly practical and so is fragile, but heavy and has to be supported on a backboard thus losing its original effect. However, it is still a positively stunning piece and shows to great effect the real skill, not only of Hansen, but also that of Det Norske Billedvoeveri.

Hansen herself was often criticised inside Norway for not more fully making her work more amenable to the indigenous culture of Norway. This had much to do with the Norwegian struggle for independence from its neighbours Sweden and Denmark and the attempt to separate Norwegian culture from that of its occupiers. However, although Hansen understood the concerns regarding the preservation and reinterpretation of Norse culture, she was unconvinced that it should be uttermost in her work. Although Hansen herself did produce a certain amount of work based on Norwegian myths and legends, she felt herself to be more in tune with the European popular internationalism of the period, particularly seen within the decorative arts world with international movements such as Art Nouveau in which she became closely associated style wise. 

In some ways Hansen felt that as a Norwegian, it was perhaps more beneficial for her and her work to be seen as looking outward and forward, rather than that of looking inward and backward. This by no means criticises either those who saw Norwegian independence best served by a reliance on traditional crafts, or those who saw the future of Norway as being part of a more internationally inspired craft tradition. In fact the two seemingly incongruous visions did achieve a lasting reputation and direction for the country's craft and design framework.

By emphasising the importance of traditional and indigenous craft skills, but also managing to maintain and increasingly develop an international presence and outlook, Norway has been able to place itself at the forefront of contemporary craft design, while still maintaining its traditions. The country now has some of the leading craft designers and artists in Europe, along with an impressive infrastructure of support for the crafts through events, exhibitions and galleries headed by the Norske Kunsthandverkere (Norwegian Association for Arts & Crafts) a link to which is given below in the Reference links section.

Reference links:
Norske Kunsthandverkere (Norwegian Association for Arts & Crafts) website
Norwegian Touches: History, Recipes, Folk Arts Notably Norwegian
Norwegian Handknits: Heirloom Designs from Vesterheim Museum
Norwegian Folk Art: The Migration of a Tradition
Norwegian Native Art
Norwegian Tapestry Weaving
Scandinavian Design (Taschen 25)

Medieval Sicilian Textiles

Illustration: Sicilian Islamic themed woven brocade 12th century

Although the Islamic occupation of Sicily did not reach its final stage until 965, the influence of partial occupation and trade links with the larger Islamic world for the previous two centuries had an enormous influence on the crafts and culture of this Mediterranean island.

Sicily was well known for its textile production during the emirate period of its history. To be fair, most if not all of the textiles produced were largely Islamic in flavour and theme. However, Sicily had long been both a province of Byzantium and had maintained a sizeable Greek population. The culture of the eastern Greek empire was enmeshed into the local one, so that what textile work was produced had a combination of Byzantine and Islamic flavours, though of course it should be noted that the Islamic influence was always the strongest.

Illustration: Satellite map of Sicily

Sicilian Textiles not only found their way to different ports along the North African coast, but interestingly, much further north into Central Europe. They were well prized, expensive and even made their way into royal collections. It is interesting that although Christian Europe was technically in confrontation with Islam throughout this period, at a practical level trade and cultural exchange seemed relatively unhindered. It would be interesting to note how far Sicilian produced textiles, with their Islamic inscriptions and motifs, travelled into the heart of Christian Europe.

With the coming of the Normans to the island in about 1060, it added yet another element to the already confusing layers of Sicilian culture. Without going into the politics or religious aspects of the island's history in too great a detail, it is fair to say that the combination of cultures, although clashing ideologically, did produce some of the most beautiful textiles of the period. The border area of Islam which was to include all of the major islands in the Mediterranean from Crete to Mallorca, and of course modern Spain and Portugal, was a hot bed of innovation and creative thinking through a whole range of crafts from ceramics through to textiles.

Illustration: Spanish Islamic woven textile design 14th century

The illustrations shown in this article are all from the twelfth century and all from Sicily, bar one. The fourteenth century woven textile design above was placed here because for a long period this particular fabric was considered to be either Sicilian or Spanish. It couldn't really be decided in which region it had originated. It seems as though most experts are now happy to authenticate the design as being from Islamic Spain. However, although it is important to trace the origins of this particular piece, what is more important is that it also clearly represents a very similar style to the work produced in Sicily. It can be seen from this how extraordinarily expert was both the design and production of these European Islamic textiles.

Illustration: Sicilian Islamic themed woven brocade 12th century

It would be tempting, though inaccurate, to see Sicily with its Classical Greek and Roman routes, its layers of Byzantine, Islamic and Latin Christian cultures along with that of the Normans, as an ethnically and religiously tolerant oasis in the maelstrom of early medieval Europe. Although admittedly even long after Sicily became a province of the Normans, Arabic was still spoken as the court language and much of the Islamic institutions were kept in place, it proved only a matter of time before an intolerance of Islam, much harsher than that of the previous Islamic rulers, was set in place. Islam and all its external influences, including the decorative arts, were cleansed of much of the work that could be attributed to Islam. This spelt the end of a period of Sicilian textile history that had separated it, in style and influence, from the mainland of Italy and much of Europe. Later Sicilian textile work, although individual to the island to some extent, did tend to follow the fashions and themes set down by the mainland and the rest of Europe.

Illustration: Sicilian silk textile design 12th century

The loss of a connection between Sicily and North Africa was also a loss of connection between Europe and the Islamic arts. As European history developed any connections that did remain between the two cultures got narrower and more alien, until eventually the gulf between the two proved too difficult to bridge. However, these Sicilian Islamic themed textiles are still part of the European tradition of textile design and they were to play an interesting and important role in nineteenth century Britain in particular, where William Morris much admired the workmanship of these iconic designs.

Reference links:
History of Islamic Sicily (Islamic Surveys)
Arabic Administration in Norman Sicily: The Royal Diwan (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)
Siculo-Norman Art: Islamic Culture in Medieval Sicily (Islamic Art in the Mediterranean)
Al-Idrisi and Representations of the Medieval Muslim World: An entry from Gale's Science and Its Times