Helene Schjerfbeck

Måns Schjerfbeck (Måns Schjerfbeck, the artist's brother and favourite model was a school teacher, and taught the owner of the present work mathematics, writing and geography)
Hanna Schjerfbeck (daughter of the above) 
Sale: Bukowski, Helsinki, 16th April 1988, lot 143
Purchased at the above sale by the father of the present owner 

Helene Schjerfbeck, Ateneum, Helsinki, 1992, exh. cat., p. 209, no. 314, catalogued & illustrated in colour

Original canvas. There are no signs of retouching visible under ultra-violet light recto and verso. The image of the gypsy on the verso has been partially scratched out by the artist. The verso bears an old exhibition label that has been glued to the canvas (visible in the catalogue illustration). Overall this work is in very good original condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1922, the present work juxtaposes two of the most recurrent and intensely personal motifs of Schjerfbeck's later period: still life and figural works.

Already by the turn of the century, Schjerfbeck was less interested in the conventional nature morte and its faithful rendition, intrigued instead by the expressive potential of psychological plays of colours, shapes and rhythms. Still lifes stopped being inanimate objects and became abstract patterns of light and colour, and Schjerfbeck's delicate health and nervous disposition engendered a strong sensitivity to nature. 'The serenity of Helene Schjerfbeck's still lifes reflects the isolation and solitude through which the artist found the essential: the concentration of mind, contemplation and simplicity of expression provide immediate contact and impact' (Helmiriitta Sariola, 'Nature morte' in Helene Schjerfbeck, Ateneum, Helsinki, 1992, exh. cat. p. 83).

Schjerfbeck's version of The Gypsy Woman (fig. 1) that is on the reverse of the present painting is no less potent than the still life. There are two other known versions of Gypsy Woman, both painted in 1919, the largest, most finished being Sorrow (Child of the Heat, The Gypsy Woman). Schjerfbeck's scratchings-out to the surface of the oil and the abstract forms that build the figure on the reverse express the raw emotion exuded by the gypsy, who in the finished oil is surrounded by amorphous space to emphasise her solitude.

By the time Schjerfbeck executed the present work, she had been living since 1902 in Hyvinkää, a quiet rural community away from the prejudices related to the perceived restrictions of her sex and her disability. Schjerfbeck was absorbed into a society that accepted and understood her, and had attained commercial and critical success on a national level, being represented by the Stenman Gallery, accepting commissions from societies like the Finnish Art Society, showing works in the annual Turku Art Society exhibition, and being awarded the Order of the White Rose of Finland in 1920.

FIG. 1, Reverse of the present work