Lilies of the Valley in a Blue Vase II 1929

Helene Schjerfbeck painted this image of lilies of the valley with oil on canvas at an unknown date, but what’s super clear is her love of mark making, where each brushstroke feels like a deliberate act of construction. There’s a real tension in this painting. Look how the delicate, almost ethereal whites of the flowers contrast against the solid, dark blue of the vase. The paint isn’t overworked, it’s thin and transparent in places, allowing the texture of the canvas to peek through. I particularly love the way she’s handled the leaves, just a few strokes of green, but they feel so full of life. It’s like she’s saying, ‘this is all you need to see the essence of this plant.’ The way the ground is handled reminds me of Tal R, it’s about what is implied. What I like most about this painting is its embrace of ambiguity. It’s not about perfect representation; it’s about capturing a feeling, a mood, and that’s what makes it so compelling.