Kankaan poimuja. Todennäköisesti 1910 - 1912

Eero Järnefelt likely produced this sketch, "Kankaan poimuja. Todennäköisesti" - possibly folds of fabric - with pastel on paper. Looking at the image, we could ask: what can the depiction of fabric tell us about Finnish society? The handling of cloth has always been associated with social class, whether homespun or mass produced. Järnefelt lived at a time of increasing industrialization, and the development of Finnish national identity. How did this affect the way textiles were regarded and consumed? Järnefelt's personal history offers valuable insights. He taught at the University of Art and Design, and his work was part of the collection of the Ateneum. Investigating archives like these might tell us more about the function of the artwork and the way it has been framed for public consumption. The meaning of this artwork is not fixed. As art historians, our task is to piece together its meaning by looking at its cultural and institutional context.