A Farm

by Lennart Rudström, Carl Larsson (Illustrator), Ernest Edwin Ryden (Translator)

Carl Larsson is one of Sweden's best-loved artists. His stunning watercolours of his home and family from the end of the nineteenth century are acclaimed as one of the richest records of life at that time. The paintings in this book all depict the farm of Spadarvet in Sundborn, in west Sweden, which Carl Larsson bought in 1897. The accompanying text provides a fascinating insight into farm life, and into Carl's painting techniques. Today, over 60,000 tourists a year visit Sundborn to admire Larsson's home and work.Book Hardcover Publication 5/30/2008 36

Genres: Art, Picture Books, Childrens

34 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1906

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Carl Larsson's work - his landscapes, his portraits, his folksy home decorations - but although I have long been aware, in a sort of peripheral way, that his paintings had been incorporated into a number of picture-books, I didn't think to track them down until a goodreads friend (thanks, Krista!) reviewed one. This one. It goes without saying that it is a beautiful book, but A Farm is also immensely educational, in an engaging, fun way. Not only did I learn a little bit more about Larsson himself, and his life at his country home, Little Hyttnäs, but I also gained quite a bit of insight into the farming life in rural Sweden, at the turn of the 19th/20th century. This book, with text by Lennart Rudström (based upon Larsson's own recollections), and painting by Larsson, documents a year in the life of Spadarvet, the farm just next door to Little Hyttnäs, that Larsson purchased in 1897.

The text is quite extensive, so this is not one for beginning readers, or for younger children with short attention spans - although even they might appreciate the artwork! - but for those with an appreciation for quiet joys, and the details of life as it was lived more than one hundred years ago in Sweden. From the thinning of the trees in winter, to the cow-herding in summer, the many activities of the farm find their way into the story, while little informational asides (also text heavy!) give further information. The artwork is simply luminous - the sort of paintings one likes to pore over, or page through, again and again. Recommended to all Carl Larsson fans, and to those young readers with an interest in farming practices of the past, or who enjoy historical fiction.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully done! The carefully selected series of images reproduced here portray the life on a farm in Sweden in the late 1800s. The text describes the events that are illustrated, so the focus is strictly on the action in the painting, not on Larsson's style or approach to painting.

[Carol Bakker · Rating 5 out of 5]

The art demands a five-star rating. But the narration of an agriculture year in Sweden is fantastic!

Larsson's tableaus are reminiscent of Jean-François Millet's rural paintings. Larsson depicts the necessary jobs of the rural self-sufficient farmer. Cutting firewood, putting up ice for the year, repairing sleighs, harrowing the fields, sowing oats by hand, milking cows, digging ditches, making charcoal (!! - I didn't know people made charcoal, but watched YouTube videos about it).

The text always explained how the same tasks are done in modern day. Farmers have spreaders and don't have to rake manure by hand.

The culmination of the book is the painting Christmas Eve. The harvest is in, cooked and ready to be eaten. An old man sits in a wing chair, attended by two young children. Girls with crowns of braided hair inspect the layout. Older men inhabit the background. He captures the moment before the feast begins. It is glorious!

There is a sense of the Wendell Berry 'membership', of a family and community working together.

This is a book that would appeal to artists, to farmers, to live-off-the-land homesteaders and to all who enjoy outdoor scenes.

[Shiloah · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an informative and pleasurable jaunt through a season of Carl Jensson’s paintings and life. (1897)

[Monique]

In the midst of a lot of "dark" reading, something homespun from light.

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

These Larsson books are really charming--I would have loved them as a child. They are not very strong on story (they are more anecdotal and descriptive), but they still manage to capture the imagination. Unfortunately, my library copies were pretty old and the prints seemed a bit worse for the wear; I assume that newly printed copies would be a little more vibrant and better registered. Regardless, however, it is of course Larsson's watercolors that make these books. They manage to be both dynamic and peaceful, colorful and yet a little bleak. Perfect for a book about daily life in late 19th century Sweden.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely gorgeous book of 19th century farm paintings by Swedish artist Carl Larsson. I was not familiar with his work but the style is like this cool blend of impressionist and Japanese woodcuts with feathery backgrounds and sharply etched details. Really an amazing historical record of farming techniques and technologies in the late 1800s-early 1900s.

[J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully illustrated, and I love the story, which is the biography of the artist.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of the hard life of the artist Carl Larsson on the farm where he grew up, and how the whole family worked together. It is illustrated with his remarkable paintings of those times.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love his paintings. I could look at them for hours.