Party in the Countryside 1947

Tove Jansson conjures an outdoor gathering with thin washes of delicate muted colours and sinuous lines. Imagine Jansson working on this mural-scale painting. Is she perched on scaffolding, dipping her brush in watery pigments, building up layers of translucent colour? I love the figures nestled in amongst the foliage. The dreamy narrative feels almost classical; the painting is populated with nymphs or sprites. Look at the woman seated on the reddish cloth. The way she is poised feels really intentional. Her hands lifted as though casting a spell. The figures and poses are a clear departure from the simple style of her Moomin cartoons. The painting style is more illustrative and ornate, echoing the decorative murals of Puvis de Chavannes or even the graphic style of Gauguin. Artists are in constant conversation, riffing off ideas and inspiring each other across decades. It is amazing to think of Jansson bringing her own interpretation to the history of painting!