Schjerfbeck was an extremely slow painter. When she began painting, the first brushstrokes would show whether the mood was right. If not, she would wait for a better day. When she eventually returned to the canvas weeks later, she would often wash off everything she had painted earlier. Sometimes she scrubbed the canvas until it lost its sheen and became worn and fragile – as fragile as the little girl in the picture.
The girl sat for Schjerfbeck on a dark November day. In Schjerfbeck's eyes, she was as radiant as a small yellow moon in the darkness. The girl was free to pose as she pleased, yet her hands look uncomfortable crossed as they are – only adding to the discomfort of her stiff Sunday frock.
Although the solitary figure was a delight to Schjerfbeck, painting her became an increasing strain. Schjerfbeck was unable to take pleasure in her work – the likeness was never good enough. How could anyone possibly bother looking at such an unworthy effort?
Lampi lived his whole life in Ostrobothnia, where the land is very flat. A long time ago, the flat plains in this painting were hidden deep beneath the sea. The sweeping views stretch out as far as the eye can see, without so much as the tiniest mound to break the monotony. The background is filled with saunas and barns that recede into the distance, vanishing as tiny dots on the horizon where earth and heaven meet.
Lampi was born into a farming family, and painted only in his spare time.
In moments of sadness, he would say that he painted for the cows. Sometimes the
cows were his only audience. Lampi felt isolated by the loneliness of his home
village and the absence of fellow artists. The vast open plains in this
painting can be taken to represent the artist's soul. A self-portrait doesn't
always have to be a physical likeness. A portrait of the soul can say just as
much – sometimes even more.
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Magnus von Wright : The Liljenstrand House in Winter Karl Emanuel Jansson : At the Vestry Door Johannes Takanen : Andromeda Eero Järnefelt : Under the Yoke (The Burn-Beating) Magnus Enckell : Boy with Skull Helene Schjerfbeck : The Primary School Girl ; Vilho Lampi : The Roof of the Sauna Otto Mäkilä : Summer Night
