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Helena Sofia (Helene) Schjerfbeck (; July 10, 1862 – January 23, 1946) was a
Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...
painter Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ai ...
. A modernist painter, she is known for her realist works and self-portraits, and also for her landscapes and still lifes. Throughout her long life, her work changed dramatically beginning with French-influenced realism and plein air painting. It gradually evolved towards portraits and still life paintings. At the beginning of her career she often produced historical paintings, such as the ''Wounded Warrior in the Snow'' (1880), ''At the Door of Linköping Jail in 1600'' (1882) and ''The Death of Wilhelm von Schwerin'' (1886). Historical paintings were usually the realm of male painters, as was the experimentation with modern influences and French radical naturalism. As a result, her works produced mostly in the 1880s did not receive a favourable reception until later in her life.
''Her work starts with a dazzlingly skilled, somewhat melancholic version of late-19th-century academic realism…it ends with distilled, nearly abstract images in which pure paint and cryptic description are held in perfect balance.'' (Roberta Smith, New York Times, November 27, 1992)
Schjerbeck's birthday, July 10, is Finland's national day for the painted arts.


Early life

Helena Sofia Schjerfbeck was born on July 10, 1862, in
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, Finland (then an autonomous Grand-Duchy within the Russian Empire), to Svante Schjerfbeck (an office manager) and Olga Johanna (née Printz). She had one surviving brother,
Magnus Schjerfbeck Magnus Schjerfbeck (24 July 1860 — 8 May 1933) was a Finnish architect and architectural historian. Education Schjerfbeck studied at the Polytechnical Institute of Finland (later Helsinki University of Technology, now part of Aalto Universit ...
(1860–1933), who went on to become an architect. In 1866, when she was four she fell down some stairs injuring her hip, which prevented her from attending school and left her with a limp for the rest of her life. She showed talent at an early age, and, in 1873, by the time she was eleven she was enrolled at the Finnish Art Society School of Drawing. Her fees were paid by Adolf von Becker, who saw promise in her. At this school Schjerfbeck met
Helena Westermarck Helena Charlotta Westermarck (20 November 1857, Helsinki – 5 April 1938, Helsinki) was a Finnish artist and writer (belonging to Swedish-speaking population of Finland). She is known for her pioneering biographies of women. Biography Westerma ...
. These two, and artist Maria Wiik and lesser known Ada Thilen had a close friendship during their lives. When Schjerfbeck's father died of
tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
on February 2, 1876, Schjerfbeck's mother took in boarders so that they could get by. A little over a year after her father's death, Schjerfbeck graduated from the Finnish Art Society drawing school. She continued her education, with Westermarck, at a private academy run by Adolf von Becker, which utilised the
University of Helsinki The University of Helsinki ( fi, Helsingin yliopisto, sv, Helsingfors universitet, abbreviated UH) is a public research university located in Helsinki, Finland since 1829, but founded in the city of Turku (in Swedish ''Åbo'') in 1640 as the ...
drawing studio. Professor paid for her tuition to Becker's private academy. There, Becker himself taught her French
oil painting Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...
techniques. In 1879, at the age of 17, Schjerfbeck won third prize in a competition organised by the Finnish Art Society, and in 1880 her work was displayed in an annual Finnish Art Society exhibition. That summer Schjerfbeck spent time at a manor owned by her aunt on her mother's side, Selma Printz, and Selma's husband Thomas Adlercreutz. There she spent time drawing and painting her cousins. Schjerfbeck became particularly close to her cousin Selma Adlercreutz, who was her age. In 1880, she set off to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
later that year after receiving a travel grant from the Imperial Russian Senate.


Career


Paris

In Paris, Schjerfbeck painted with Helena Westermarck, then left to study with
Léon Bonnat Léon Joseph Florentin Bonnat (20 June 1833 – 8 September 1922) was a French painter, Grand Officer of the Légion d'honneur and professor at the Ecole des Beaux Arts. Early life Bonnat was born in Bayonne, but from 1846 to 1853 he lived in M ...
at Mme Trélat de Vigny's studio. In 1881 she moved to the Académie Colarossi, where she studied once again with Westermarck. The Imperial Senate gave her another scholarship, which she used to spend a couple of months in
Meudon Meudon () is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris. The city is known for many historic monuments and some extraordinary trees. One of t ...
, and then a few more months in
Pont-Aven Pont-Aven (, Breton: 'River Bridge') is a commune in the Finistère department in the Brittany region in Northwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 2,821. Demographics Inhabitants of Pont-Aven are called ''Pontavenistes'' in French ...
a small fishing in Concarneau, Brittany. She then went back to the Académie Colarossi briefly, before returning to the in Finland. Schjerfbeck continued to move around frequently, painting and studying with various people. Schjerfbeck made money by continuing to put her paintings in the Art Society's exhibitions, and she also did illustrations for books. After returning to Finland in 1882, in 1884 she was back in Paris at the Académie Colarossi with Westermarck, but this time they were working there. During this time she participated in Académie des Beaux-Arts’ The Salon and painted again in Brittany. In the chapel of Trèmolo near the village of Pont-Aven Schjerfbeck produced the painting ''The Door'' (1884).


Engagement and travels

In late Autumn 1883, Schjerfbeck got engaged to a Swedish painter
Otto Hagborg Otto is a masculine German given name and a surname. It originates as an Old High German short form (variants ''Audo'', '' Odo'', ''Udo'') of Germanic names beginning in ''aud-'', an element meaning "wealth, prosperity". The name is recorded f ...
who also lived in Pont-Aven in the winter and spring of 1883–1884. The engagement, however, came to an end in 1885 when a problem with Schjerfbeck's hip led the groom's family to suspect tuberculosis. In reality the issue was a result of her fall during childhood. Schjerfbeck never married. After spending a year in Finland, Schjerfbeck travelled again to Paris in the autumn of 1886. Schjerfbeck was given more money to travel by a man from the Finnish Art Society and in 1887 she travelled to
St Ives, Cornwall St Ives ( kw, Porth Ia, meaning "Ia of Cornwall, St Ia's cove") is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commerci ...
, in Britain. There she painted ''The Bakery'' (1887) and ''The Convalescent'', the latter winning the bronze medal at the 1889 Paris World Fair. The painting was later bought by the Finnish Art Society. During this period Schjerfbeck was painting in a naturalistic plein-air style.


Teaching and sanatorium

In the 1890s Schjerfbeck started teaching regularly in Finland at the Art Society drawing school, now the
Academy of Fine Arts The following is a list of notable art schools. Accredited non-profit art and design colleges * Adelaide Central School of Art * Alberta College of Art and Design * Art Academy of Cincinnati * Art Center College of Design * The Art Institute o ...
.
Hilda Flodin Hilda Flodin (16 March 1877 – 9 March 1958) was a Finnish artist. She worked in a variety of media, but in the first part of her career primarily sculpture and etchings, later primarily painting, especially portraits. Life and career Flodin w ...
was one of her students. However, in 1901 she became too ill to teach and in 1902 she resigned from her post. She moved to
Hyvinkää Hyvinkää (; sv, Hyvinge, ) is a city and municipality of Finland. It is located in the Uusimaa region, approximately north of the capital Helsinki. The city was chartered in 1960. The population of Hyvinkää is (). Its neighboring municipal ...
, which was known for its sanatorium, all while taking care of her mother who lived with her (the mother died in 1923). While living in Hyvinkää, she continued to paint and exhibit. "Schjerfbeck’s sole contact with the art world was through magazines sent by friends." Since she did not have art, Schjerfbeck took up hobbies like reading and embroidery. During this time Schjerbeck produced
still life A still life (plural: still lifes) is a work of art depicting mostly wikt:inanimate, inanimate subject matter, typically commonplace objects which are either natural (food, flowers, dead animals, plants, rocks, shells, etc.) or artificiality, m ...
s and landscape paintings, as well as portraits, such as that of her mother, local school girls and women workers, and also self-portraits, and she became a modernist painter. Her work has been compared to that of artists such as James McNeill Whistler and
Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( , ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, ''The Scream'' (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dr ...
, but from 1905 her paintings took on a character that was hers alone. She continued experimenting with various techniques such as using different types of
underpainting In art, an underpainting is an initial layer of paint applied to a ground, which serves as a base for subsequent layers of paint. Underpaintings are often monochromatic and help to define color values for later painting. Underpainting gets its name ...
.


Exhibitions

In 1913 Schjerfbeck met the art-dealer , with whose encouragement she exhibited at
Malmö Malmö (, ; da, Malmø ) is the largest city in the Swedish county (län) of Scania (Skåne). It is the third-largest city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg, and the sixth-largest city in the Nordic region, with a municipal populat ...
in 1914,
Stockholm Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
in 1916 and
St Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
in 1917. In 1917 Stenman organised her first solo exhibition and in that year (alias H. Ahtela) published the first Schjerfbeck monograph. Later she exhibited at Copenhagen (1919), Gothenburg (1923) and Stockholm (1934). In 1937 Stenman organised another solo exhibition for her in Stockholm, and in 1938 he began paying her a monthly stipend. Her paintings were successfully displayed in several exhibitions in Sweden in the 1930s and 1940s.


Later years and death

As the years passed, Schjerfbeck travelled less. When a family matter arose she would return to her home city of Helsinki and she spent most of 1920 in Ekenäs, but by 1921 she was back living in Hyvinkää. For about a year, Schjerfbeck moved to a farm in
Tenala Tenala ( fi, Tenhola) is a former municipality in Uusimaa, Finland. It was neighboured by Hanko, Kisko, Perniö, Pohja, Särkisalo and Ekenäs. The municipality was established in 1329. The stone church of Tenala was built in late 15th cent ...
to avoid the
Winter War The Winter War,, sv, Vinterkriget, rus, Зи́мняя война́, r=Zimnyaya voyna. The names Soviet–Finnish War 1939–1940 (russian: link=no, Сове́тско-финская война́ 1939–1940) and Soviet–Finland War 1 ...
, but went back to Ekenäs in the middle of 1940. She later moved into a nursing home, where she resided for less than a year before moving to the Luontola sanatorium. In 1944 she moved into the
Saltsjöbaden Saltsjöbaden is a locality in Nacka Municipality, Stockholm County, Sweden with 9,491 inhabitants in 2010. It is on the Baltic Sea coast, deep in the Stockholm Archipelago. History Saltsjöbaden () was developed as a resort by Knut Agathon Wa ...
spa hotel in
Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, where she continued to paint actively even during her last years; e.g. the series of self-portraits. She died on January 23, 1946 and was buried at the
Hietaniemi Cemetery The Hietaniemi cemetery ( fi, Hietaniemen hautausmaa, sv, Sandudds begravningsplats) is located mainly in the Lapinlahti quarter and partly in the Etu-Töölö district of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is the location for Finnish state ...
in Helsinki.


Work

''Dancing Shoes'' is one of Schjerfbeck's most popular paintings and she returned to the theme three times as well as executing a lithograph of it, the latter catapulting the painting to international fame. It depicts her cousin Esther Lupander, who had extremely long legs and for that reason the painting was nicknamed "The Grasshopper". Executed in Realist style, the painting shows the clear influence of Schjerfbeck's stay in Paris where she had expressed admiration for
Édouard Manet Édouard Manet (, ; ; 23 January 1832 – 30 April 1883) was a French modernist painter. He was one of the first 19th-century artists to paint modern life, as well as a pivotal figure in the transition from Realism to Impressionism. Born ...
,
Edgar Degas Edgar Degas (, ; born Hilaire-Germain-Edgar De Gas, ; 19 July 183427 September 1917) was a French Impressionist artist famous for his pastel drawings and oil paintings. Degas also produced bronze sculptures, prints and drawings. Degas is es ...
,
Berthe Morisot Berthe Marie Pauline Morisot (; January 14, 1841 – March 2, 1895) was a French painter and a member of the circle of painters in Paris who became known as the Impressionists. In 1864, Morisot exhibited for the first time in the highly es ...
, and
Mary Cassatt Mary Stevenson Cassatt (; May 22, 1844June 14, 1926) was an American painter and printmaker. She was born in Allegheny, Pennsylvania (now part of Pittsburgh's North Side), but lived much of her adult life in France, where she befriended Edgar De ...
. It fetched £3,044,500 at a 2008 Sotheby's London sale. ''Girl with Blonde Hair'' (1916) is an example of Schjerfbeck's mature style, drawing on French Modernism. The work belongs to a series (including also ''The Family Heirloom'' of the same year) featuring neighbours of Schjerfbeck, Jenny and Impi Tamlander, who ran errands for Schjerfbeck and her mother and helped look after the family home. Here the sitter is Impi. The painting realized £869,000 at a 2015 Sotheby's London sale. Schjerfbeck was included in the 2018 exhibit ''Women in Paris 1850–1900''.


Legacy

Art forger was an admirer of hers and writes of his time forging Schjerfbeck's works: "By encroaching on Schjerfbeck I felt like I had violated something sacred. It was if I had broken into a
sacristy A sacristy, also known as a vestry or preparation room, is a room in Christian churches for the keeping of vestments (such as the alb and chasuble) and other church furnishings, sacred vessels, and parish records. The sacristy is usually located ...
to steal the church silvers." Fellow forger and self-admitted seller of 60 Schjerfbeck counterfeits Jouni Ranta was more critical and opined her fame was undeserved. The 2003 biographical novel ''Helene'' by Rakel Liehu was a critical and commercial success, and won the 2004
Runeberg Prize The Runeberg prize (Finnish: ''Runeberg-palkinto'', Swedish: ''Runebergspriset'') is a Finnish literature prize founded in 1987. The prize is named in honour of Finnish national poet Johan Ludvig Runeberg (1804–1877) and is awarded annually on ...
. It also formed the basis of a 2020 film by the same name, directed by
Antti Jokinen Antti Juhanpoika Jokinen (born 26 April 1968) is a Finnish music video and film director as well as a former college basketball player. He is married to actress Krista Kosonen. Biography Early life Born in Nurmijärvi to the family of a sports ...
and starring
Laura Birn Laura Eveliina Birn (born 25 April 1981) is a Finnish film actress. Birn was born in Helsinki, Finland. She completed her master's degree from Helsinki Theatre Academy in 2008. She is most famous for her appearances in the 2003 film ''Helmi ...
as Schjerfbeck, which was nominated for an award in the feature-length category at the
Shanghai International Film Festival The Shanghai International Film Festival (, French: ''Festival international du film de Shanghai''), abbreviated SIFF, is one of the largest film festivals in East Asia. "China's biggest film festival" according to the Hollywood Reporter. Nex ...
.


Exhibitions

* From 20 July to 27 October 2019, the
Royal Academy The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its pur ...
set up an exhibition with over 60 paintings, landscapes and still lifes, remarking the evolution of her career.


See also

*
Golden Age of Finnish Art The Golden Age of Finnish Art coincided with the national awakening of Finland, during the era of the Grand Duchy of Finland under the Russian Empire. It is believed to span an era from the late 19th Century to the early 20th Century, approximate ...
* Art in Finland


References


Further reading

* Ahtola-Moorhouse, Leena, ed. ''Helene Schjerfbeck. 150 Years'' xhibition catalogue, Konstmuseet Ateneum and Statens Konstmuseum(2012) * Marie Christine Tams, 'Dense Depths of the Soul: A Phenomenological Approach to Emotion and Mood in the Work of Helene Schjerfbeck', in ''Parrhesia''; 13 (2011), p. 157–176 * Ahtola-Moorhouse, Lena: 'Schjerfbeck, Helene
elena Elena may refer to: People * Elena (given name), including a list of people and characters with this name * Joan Ignasi Elena (born 1968), Catalan politician * Francine Elena (born 1986), British poet Geography * Elena (town), a town in Veliko ...
(Sofia)', in ''Grove Art Online.
Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...
'' (6 February 2006) http://www.groveart.com/ * Roberta Smith, 'A Neglected Finnish Modernist Is Rediscovered', in ''The New York Times''; sec. c:27. LexisNexis Academic. LexisNexis. 8 Feb. 2006 http://web.lexisnexis.com/universe * S. Koja, ''Nordic Dawn Modernism's Awakening in Finland 1890-1920'' xhibition catalogue, Osterreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, and Gemeentemuseum The Hague(2005) * Ahtola-Moorhouse, L., 'Helene Schjerfbeck', in ''L'Horizon inconnu: l'art en Finlande 1870-1920'' xhibition catalogue(1999) * Bergström, Lea, and Cedercreutz-Suhonen, Sue: ''Helene Schjerfbeck, Malleja-Modeller-Models, WSOY, Helsinki, Finland, 2003''. * The Finnish National Gallery Ateneum. ''Helene Schjerfbeck''. Trans. The English Centre. (1992) * Ahtola-Moorhouse, L., ed. ''Helena Schjerfbeck. Finland's Modernist Rediscovered'' xhibition catalogue, Phillips Collection Washington and National Academy of Design New York(1992)
Helene Schjerfbeck: Finland's best-kept secret
''Nineteenth-Century Art Worldwide''.


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Schjerfbeck, Helene 1862 births 1946 deaths Artists from Helsinki People from Uusimaa Province (Grand Duchy of Finland) Swedish-speaking Finns Finnish women painters 19th-century Finnish painters 20th-century Finnish painters 19th-century Finnish women artists 20th-century Finnish women artists Académie Colarossi alumni Finnish expatriates in France Finnish expatriates in Sweden