Costume Picture II 1909

Helene Schjerfbeck made Costume Picture II with oil on canvas, and what really strikes me is how she's working with a palette that’s almost all muted tones, like she's whispering secrets. The strokes are visible, but everything's blended, soft, as if she's trying to catch a feeling more than a photographic image. Look at the way the white dress almost melts into the background. It’s all about texture here. You can almost feel the weave of the canvas, which contrasts with the smoothness of the painted surface. See how the hands are clasped. It’s like the focal point that grounds the composition. The overall effect is one of introspection. Schjerfbeck’s later work, particularly her self-portraits, took on a similar level of distillation, almost like she was stripping away the layers to reveal the essence of a thing, or a person. It makes me think about what it means to really *see* something, or someone.