HELENE SHJERFBECK

Helene Schjerfbeck is one of the most important Finnish painters. Today she is regarded as one of the pioneers of Scandinavian Modernism.

She was born on the 10 of July of 1862 in Helsinki. She came from an old Swedish family.

When she was four years old she fell down stairs and broke her hip. As a result she ended up with a limp. That fact marked all her life.

She was a child prodigy but she never attended school and was left with limited mobility. But being housebound at home she could concentrate on drawing.

When she was eleven years old, she had enrolled at the Finnish Art Society - five years younger than the other students-.

Her father died prematurely from tuberculosis in February 1876 and that fact left the family with financial problems. She continued her studies despite the disapproval of her mother. At this time she chose for the large historical paintings.

At the age of 16,k she received a scholarship to study in Paris. After Paris she travelled to Italy and lived in a colony of artists in Saint Ives (Cornwall), where she met the fiancé, who later broke the engagement because of the Helene’s physical handicap.

In 1895 she was back to take care of her mother, who believed that housekeeping was more important that painting.

She lived for 40 years in small Finnish Centers. Then went to a Swedish wellness, where she lived until her death in January 1946.

Her artistic style had changed a lot during her life. She has been defined as a realistic, romantic, impressionist, symbolic and expressionist, but she was especially famous for her self-portraits. Her work depicts the lives of children and women. She painted women at work, using her mother and other close people as models. Among her more famous painting are “Dancing shoes”, “The Door”, and “The Convalescent”.

Dolores Faulo

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