Girl from California I 1919

Helene Schjerfbeck’s “Girl from California I” is a painting made with earthy colours – browns, ochres, reds – creating an overall sense of warmth. You can see how the artist slowly worked the image into being. I imagine Schjerfbeck applying thin layers of paint, building up the image bit by bit. I like the way she reduces the model to planes of colour with dark outlines and understated features. Those closed eyes – what might they mean? The red around the neck gives off a certain tension and mystery. The white garment is indicated in reductive, abstract strokes, and then the background almost fades into the subject’s head. I get the feeling she’s there but also not there. Schjerfbeck’s reductive approach to portraiture seems to be having a dialogue with other artists, such as Modigliani, who reduce their subjects to their essence. It’s a beautiful example of how painters are in an ongoing conversation. In the end, the real subject of painting isn't the subject but the act of seeing itself!