Clouds 1910 - 1912

Eero Järnefelt made this drawing called 'Clouds' with pastel crayons, capturing a fleeting moment in nature. Looking at the layered marks, it's like he's trying to hold onto something that's always changing. I love how Järnefelt uses the pastels almost like individual brushstrokes, building up the forms of the clouds with these little hatching marks. The texture of the paper peeks through, giving it an airy, unfinished feel. Notice how he contrasts the cool blues and purples in the lower half with the warmer grays and whites above. It’s as if he's trying to capture the weight of the cloud as well as its ephemeral lightness. There's this one spot, right in the middle, where the white pastel seems to dissolve into the paper, suggesting both form and formlessness. Järnefelt’s sensitivity to light and atmosphere reminds me of the landscape paintings of Vilhelm Hammershoi. They both seem to be concerned with capturing subtle variations in tone and color. Ultimately, this little drawing invites us to slow down, look up, and appreciate the beauty of the everyday.