Cerulean Haze, 1930

An original Swedish landscape by Harry Harryan, dated 1930. Broad strokes of cerulean blue, soft green and pale cream move across an expansive summer landscape, with distant hills dissolving into the horizon beneath a luminous, cloud-filled sky. A solitary figure appears at the lower right, giving a quiet sense of scale to the open countryside.

Signed and dated 1930. Sourced in Sweden and presented in its vintage gilt-toned wood frame.

About the Artist

Harry Harryan (1895–1948), born Karl Alfred Harry Andersson in Stockholm, was a Swedish painter, printmaker and draftsman. He studied at Carl Wilhelmson's painting school from 1913–1917 and later continued his studies in Paris. He began working in oil around 1914, turned to drypoint engraving during the 1920s, and studied etching in Paris in 1927. He also traveled and worked in France and Italy.

In 1923, Harryan worked at Smedsudden alongside Erik Hallström, Gunnar Svensson and Ture Tideblad, painters associated with the Swedish Intimists. The group favored a quieter, more restrained approach to color than the brilliant palette associated with the Swedish pupils of Matisse. Harryan's own landscapes and west-coast subjects became known for their soft coloration, while other parts of his work explored socially engaged urban subjects and, in his graphic work, imagery drawn from fairy tales.

Harryan was also an important figure in Sweden's graphic-arts community. He served as chairman of Grafiska Sällskapet from 1940 until his death in 1948, sat on the board of Konstnärsklubben, and belonged to both Svenska Konstnärernas Förening and Konstnärernas Riksorganisation. A memorial exhibition was held at Färg och Form in Stockholm in 1949, and his etchings were later included in Grafiska Sällskapet's 50th-anniversary exhibition at Göteborgs Konsthall in 1960.

His work entered important Swedish public collections during his lifetime. Nationalmuseum's records document his oil painting Tegellossare entering the national collection in 1937, and his work is also represented at Moderna Museet and other Swedish institutional collections.

Details

✓ Original oil painting on canvas
✓ Harry Harryan (Swedish, 1895–1948)
✓ Signed
✓ Dated 1930
✓ Swedish summer landscape
✓ Sourced in Sweden
✓ Presented in a vintage gilt-toned wood frame
✓ Ready to hang

Measurements

9.8 × 12.2 inches framed

Condition

Good vintage condition with age-related wear consistent with its age. Please review photographs closely as they form part of the condition description.

Why We Chose It

The color is what made this one impossible to pass up — layers of soft cerulean blue fading into green and cream, with the tiny figure almost disappearing into the landscape. We especially loved the loose brushwork and hazy sense of distance.

Shipping

Free U.S. shipping. Always carefully packed and fully insured.