A View of a Yard in Tammisaari by Helene Schjerfbeck - 1919–1920 - 42.5 x 36.5 cm private collection A View of a Yard in Tammisaari by Helene Schjerfbeck - 1919–1920 - 42.5 x 36.5 cm private collection

A View of a Yard in Tammisaari

oil on canvas • 42.5 x 36.5 cm
  • Helene Schjerfbeck - July 10, 1862 - January 23, 1946 Helene Schjerfbeck 1919–1920

The work we present today depicts a view from Helene Schjerfbeck's window on Södra Strandgatan in Tammisaari (Ekenäs), the small coastal town in Finland to which she moved in June 1919.

Having achieved recognition and some financial stability from her first solo exhibition in 1917, the Finish artist continued to exhibit regularly in the following years. The period from 1919 to 1920, however, was fraught with emotional and physical pain. At the end of July 1919, she learned that her friend and mentor Einar Reuter was engaged to a Swedish woman, Tyra Arpi. Fearing losing his friendship, she fell ill and at the end of September was admitted to a hospital in Tammisaari with a heart condition, remaining there until the end of November. Schjerfbeck's painting, executed after her release from the hospital, is a haunting reflection of her loneliness.

P.S. Discover poetic self-portraits by Helene Schjerfbeck, considered a Finnish gem.

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