Friends 1942 - 1945

Helene Schjerfbeck made 'Friends' at an unknown date using, it looks like, oil paint on canvas. The colours are muted but rich, and the brushwork is direct, nothing is overworked, everything is there for a reason. I love the way Schjerfbeck lets the process show. What gets me about this piece is the friendship that is communicated with so few marks. The hand of the blond haired friend rests on the wrist of the other friend, who's hair is covered by a dark hat. The painting reads, in a strange way, like a mirror image, because these figures seem to be reflections of each other. The dark lines around their features remind me of the work of Paula Modersohn-Becker, whose paintings also have a similar economy of mark making and deep understanding of the human condition. In the end, I think this painting is about the comfort of shared experience and the joy of human connection, but who really knows! Isn't that the fun of it?