The Fortune-Teller 1926

Helene Schjerfbeck’s “The Fortune-Teller” is a painting of a woman that’s mostly in shades of ochre, cream, and black. It feels like the painting came into being through layering and intuitive decisions. I wonder what it was like for Schjerfbeck to make this? I imagine she was exploring simplification and reduction, stripping away details to capture the essence of the figure. Her painting style feels closely related to early Modernism, like Picasso or Braque. The paint is applied in thin layers, allowing the canvas to peek through in places, which makes the surface feel alive and vibrant. Take a close look at the woman’s face; she is turning inward. See how Schjerfbeck uses the darkest shade for her hair, which contrasts with her pale skin, giving the painting a sense of depth and mystery. I find that all painters, myself included, are in an ongoing conversation. We are always stealing and borrowing from one another, even across long stretches of time, and each borrowing is a unique inspiration in and of itself. It's about embracing the uncertain. It's not fixed.