Finnish Nurse III 1943

Helene Schjerfbeck painted this portrait of a Finnish Nurse sometime in the first half of the twentieth century, we don't know exactly when, but it's easy to imagine her stepping back, squinting at the canvas between dabs. I love the pared-down palette, all muted pinks and grays, offset by the stark geometry of the nurse's black hair. Look at how Schjerfbeck uses these colors to build form with a few confident strokes. The paint is thin, almost transparent in places, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through. It's like she's revealing the bones of the painting, the underlying structure that holds it all together. Notice the small dab of warm brown under the sitter’s chin, a surprising mark, that somehow captures the angle of the neck. It's these little touches that bring the painting to life. Schjerfbeck reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, in the way she distills her subjects to their essence. Both artists invite us to slow down, to contemplate the subtle nuances of color and form, and to find beauty in simplicity.