The Convalescent

The subject of a sick child is common in late 19th-century art and is especially favored by female artists. For Schjerfbeck, the subject was personal—as a little girl she got a bad hip injury and illness was constantly present during her own childhood and beyond.

At the same time, her take on this topic was about hope, recovery, and return to vitality as suggested by the title. The image is divided into two parts, light and dark. Light flooding from two directions binds the image as a whole. The light entered the artist's study in the same way as the space shown in the picture, from two directions. The brushwork is lively and the treatment of light is reminiscent of Impressionism. The branch held by the girl is a symbol of new life. The title of the work also says that a sick child is recovering. The bright light of spring floods the room and the girl's face.

The painting was praised in Paris and included in the Paris salon. The reception back in Finland was initially controversial; the picture was considered excessively realistic.  Throughout her career, Helene Schjerfbeck further explored the topic and created a few later versions of the artwork.

We present this painting thanks to Europeana and it belongs to the collection of the Finnish National Gallery.

P.S. Learn more about Helene Schjerfbeck's life and see more of her amazing works!