Friends 1942 - 1945

Helene Schjerfbeck made this painting of two figures with thin oil paint and delicate charcoal lines. You can almost see her thinking through the positions of the sitters. There’s something so vulnerable in the understated palette and tentative composition. I imagine Schjerfbeck applying and removing, searching for the essence of these two figures who huddle close together in the dark. She’s trying to depict not just what they look like, but what it *feels* like to be near to someone. The way the charcoal scratches over the blue paint is so affective—it's like she's sketching out a feeling or an idea more than a representation. In her work, and in the work of so many painters, the process of building up a painting becomes a method of enquiry. It’s a way of thinking, feeling, and working through ideas, just like writing is. And in the end, it’s about opening up the possibilities for connection with those who view the work.