Saturday, February 17, 2018

Anna Boberg's Painting Rig

Swedish artist Anna Boberg (1864-1935) was a self-taught innovator, and she developed an unusual design for a plein-air easel.

Anna Boberg
The painting was held in a frame that attached to a waist band and propped up against her right leg.


In addition to her winter landscapes, Boberg was known for her writing and her Art-Nouveau ceramics.
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Anna Boberg on Wikipedia
Thanks Ricky Mujica and Gregory Dunham

7 comments:

  1. That is an ingenious rig. I’m wondering if the leg brace would also rest on the ground should she decide to work seated. I’m also surprised at the large studio size palette she is using for plein-air. Amazing!

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  2. Once again, thanks for the introduction to an artist who would otherwise fly below my radar. Reading Anna’s Wikipedia biography, she seems to have been a remarkable person. I have a feeling she was fun and interesting to be with.

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  3. Looks like there is a sheet behind her to bounce light onto the painting? Or perhaps she just set up in front of it coincidentally. Would that change the light quality falling onto her painting vs that of her subject in the environment?

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  4. Tyler, I just assumed she put that sheet there as a backdrop to make the silhouette clearer in the photo. Taking a photo was a bigger deal for folks back then than it is for us, and she may have wanted to clearly document her setup.

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  5. To Tyler J Perhaps that sheet would serve an important purpose in sending bounce light to her canvas making it easier to see against the brightness of the snow scene in front of her. I've had trouble adjusting my eyes trying to paint outdoors with the canvas in shadow.

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