Couple on Tree Branches by the River — Carl Larsson

A woman in white and her companion in a sailor-striped shirt balance on tree branches above the water, caught in a moment of summer ease. This early oil painting — very different in technique from Carl Larsson's celebrated Sundborn watercolours — belongs to his formative years in France and shows his confident, impressionistic touch. A striking postcard for admirers of late-19th-century figurative painting. Carl Larsson collection.