We Finns are rather quiet folk. We live far up north, where it's dark and gloomy for months on end. The dead leaves of autumn and the dull grey snows of winter are enough to make even the merriest of souls feel glum. In times like these, we need bright colours to make us feel warm and happy again.
You don't need to paint smiling faces to create a cheerful impression. Light and colour can achieve the same effect, because colours affect our moods, whether we notice them or not. Yellow is the colour of life and sunshine; a warm yellow never looks sickly or lifeless. Blue, by contrast, is a cool colour; it creates the illusion of open air and space to breathe. In Bathing Boys, the children bask in the golden warmth of the sun, and the blue of the water creates a feeling of refreshing coolness. If you look closely at this painting, you'll see that it's made up of tiny dabs of paint. Only when seen from afar do these multi-coloured dots attain their full glowing brightness.
Adolf von Becker : Maternal Joy ; Albert Edelfelt : Queen Bianca Gunnar Berndtson : The Bride's Song Albert Edelfelt : From the Luxembourg Gardens Ville Vallgren : Rose Dance Hugo Simberg : Devotion Tyko Konstantin Sallinen : The Washerwomen Verner Thomé : Bathing Boys
