A Fine Finn

"Self-portrait, Black Background"
Oil on Canvas, 45.5 x 36 cm.
Helene Schjerfbeck, 1915

Let me introduce a wonderful painter whom I had never known until recently: Helene Schjerfbeck. Schjerfbeck is a Finnish painter whose figures and still lifes are as fresh and inspiring as if they were painted yesterday--even though she died in 1946, at age 83. And might I say that, like a true painter, she died  with her easel beside her bed!

"Still-life in Green"
Oil on Canvas, 33.5 x 50 cm.
Helene Schjerfbeck, 1930

A good friend saw a Schjerfbeck exhibit last year at the Royal Academy in London. My friend suspected that I would love Schjerfbeck's paintings, and sent me the exhibit brochure and some postcards of her favorite paintings. 

"Red Apples"
Oil on Canvas, 40.5 x 40.5 cm
Helene Schjerfbeck, 1915

Well, my friend was right: I love Schjerfbeck's paintings! I admire them for their straightforward compositions, simple forms, and soft areas of color. Her works, especially her still lifes, have such a serenity and peacefulness. In distilling the subjects to their barest essence, she has developed a form of abstraction that I find very appealing.

"Head of a Girl Crocheting"
Oil on Canvas, 36 x 33 cm
Helene Schjerfbeck, 1904-05

Schjerfbeck typically used very thin applications of paint. In fact, she often left areas of the canvas completely unpainted, and actually caused the texture of the canvas to play an important role in the painting. I love the way this approach lets us see her hand at work. We can see that there's lots of scraping going on--signs of the painter's struggle.

"Maria"
Oil on Canvas, 57 x 73 cm.
Helene Schjerfbeck, 1909

If you'd like to learn more about Helene Schjerfbeck, the catalog of the exhibit is available on Amazon. Check it out!