The artwork titled “Threshing,” created by Carl Larsson in 1906, belongs to the Art Nouveau (Modern) movement and is categorized under the genre of genre painting. The piece originates from Sweden and exemplifies Larsson’s mastery in capturing everyday rural life.
The artwork illustrates a dynamic scene of threshing, a traditional agricultural process. It depicts men and women engaged in the labor-intensive activity of separating grain from the chaff in a barn, enveloped in dust and grain husks. A beam of sunlight pierces through the barn’s structure, adding a touch of ethereal light to the otherwise bustling and mechanically-oriented environment. The figures are shown in various stages of the threshing process, with some actively operating the machinery and others handling the grain. The composition highlights the communal effort and underscores the importance of agricultural tasks in early 20th century rural Sweden. The artist’s detailed rendering of both human figures and the surrounding environment encapsulates the essence of daily life, resonating with the aesthetic qualities of the Art Nouveau movement.
