Fanny Churberg
Winter Landscape, Evening Atmosphere is one of the last paintings of Finnish artist Fanny Churberg. She studied in Finland and in Düsseldorf, Germany, but she always returned to her home country to paint during the summer. She was also one of the first Finnish painters to study in Paris. Although Churberg remained to a large extent within the conventions of the Düsseldorf school of painting, she openly expressed her enthusiasm for the countryside and its dramatic situations, relying above all on color and a fast brush technique to do so. It is clearly visible on today's painting. The charged quality of her work differed sharply from that of her contemporaries, as did subjects like the tense atmosphere before a thunderstorm in the open country or the deep, swampy heart of the forest.
Fanny Churberg's career ended suddenly in 1880. Her health was weaker and she took care of her brother Torsten, who was suffering from tuberculosis. Torsten's death in 1882 made her quite lonely and her will to live lessened as did her energy. Her other brother Waldemar, to whom she used to be very close, had married in 1877. The reason for ending her career might also have been the harsh criticism she had met before, but she never withdrew completely from art circles. She did not paint anymore after 1880, however, not even for her own amusement. During her career she managed to produce over 300 paintings.
P.S. There is something special about Finnish art ... Here's a unique story of Helena Sofia Schjerfbeck, an unknown Finnish female artist!
P.P.S. This painting is featured in our 2022 DailyArt Monthly Wall calendar; check it out here!