– I am very happy. And I am convinced that everyone who visits the castle will be equally happy about this, said the king at the ceremony.
Speaker Andreas Norlén (M) and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) presented the work of art – an eight square meter tapestry made after a watercolor by Lars Lerin, “A stone in water” – in one of Stockholm’s palace stairwells. It is the official gift of the Riksdag and the government on the occasion of the celebration of the king’s 50 years on the throne.
The weight of time
Also present were, among others, Queen Silvia, Crown Princess Victoria, Prince Daniel, Princess Madeleine, Prince Carl Philip and Princess Christina.
– You can feel the weight of time in the stairwell, said the speaker before the unveiling and continued:
– The choice of gift shows our desire to highlight and support Swedish art and Swedish handicrafts, an important part of our country’s cultural heritage and cultural life.
Ulf Kristersson highlighted that society looked very different in 1973 when the king took office.
– 50 years is a long time, both for a person and for an entire country, said the prime minister.
“Hopeless Nostalgic”
Lars Lerin told TT in connection with the ceremony that he thinks the weavers captured his original painting well.
– They have spent two thousand hours on this and really translated my colors in the watercolor to the fabric.
Lerin explained that he tried to depict how time passes while some things remain, like a stone in water.
– I am so very busy with time passing and us people disappearing. I’m a hopeless nostalgist who makes sure that life will end once.
Facts: The King’s anniversary gift
The gift of the Riksdag and the government to King Carl Gustaf in connection with the king’s 50th anniversary is an eight square meter tapestry that will hang in one of the stairwells at Stockholm Palace.
It is made after a watercolor by the artist Lars Lerin with the title “Stone in water”. Frida Lindberg has been artistic director and Ebba Bergström and Tova Vibrandt at Alice Lund Textilier have woven.
Lerin formulates his thoughts behind the work as follows:
“You can feel the weight of time in the stairwell. I thought about all the years that have passed, people and eras that come and go, while the stone remains there in the water and just exists. I wanted to include color tones like in the stone and the wall, but also something bright and airy. The sky that lands on the eternal horizon.”
Source: TT