Mats Werner – författare

Stackars Pedro! Stampa kaj, frysa kallt. Pedro kommer hem. Käringen hänger kadaver i vedbon En fantasikittlande ramsa som vandrat genom generationer stockholmare. Men hade den en bakgrund? Fanns det en ursprunglig händelse som ramsan förtäljer? Javisst gjorde det! Mats Werner, som ägnat delar av sitt liv att försöka finna ut vem den man var, som suttit modell för en vacker tavla som Karin Bergöö (sedermera gift med Carl Larsson) målat och som hängt i Mats barndomshem och numer i hans eget. Man visste tidigt att han kallats för Negern Petterson när han satt modell för Konstakademiens elever under slutet av 1800-talet. Anders Zorn, Albert Engström, John Bauer, Oscar Björk med flera hör till dem som avbildat honom. Men vem var han och hur livnärde han sig i övrigt. Var bodde han? Varifrån kom han? Hade han familj, barn? Läs om Pierre Louis Alexandre, som var hans egentliga namn. Född och uppvuxen i Cayenne i Franska Guyana som barn till en slavinna. Hamnar i kalla Sverige på 1870-talet. Arbetar hårt och bildar familj för att slutligen dö på Serafimerlasarettet 1905. Se alla de hittills kända konstverken som Mats Werner under sin forskning spårat upp. Ett fascinerande livsöde och vackra konstverk att ta del av.

Poor Pedro stomp on the quay freeze cold Pedro come home woman hang body in wood pile. This curious rhyme has aroused the curiosity of generations of Stockholmers. But where did it come from? Was there an actual event like the one described in the rhyme? Yes, there was. Author Mats Werner has spent years researching this rhyme and the story behind it in order to find out who poor Pedro was. Artist Karin Bergöö (later married to painter Carl Larsson) painted an image of Pedro, who became known as Negro Petterson, and Bergöös painting hung in Mats Werners childhood home, which is what incited his interest in the models story. Pierre Louis Alexandre, as it turned out he was actually named, was born and raised in Cayenne in French Guiana as the child of a slave woman. He ended up in cold Sweden in the 1870s, and began working as a model for the students at the Royal Swedish Academy of Fine Arts. Anders Zorn, Albert Engström, John Bauer, Oscar Björk, and other wellregarded artists are among those who depicted him. But who was he and how did he support himself otherwise? Where did he live? Where did he come from and why was he in Sweden? Did he have a spouse and children? When and how did he die? In this book, you can read Mats Werners research into Alexandres life, and get answers to all those questions. In addition, you can see all the currently known artworks that depict him. Alexandre had a fascinating life and was the inspiration for many beautiful paintings, drawings, and sculptures. Here, Mats Werners detective work is carefully laid out so that the Black model can take centre stage.