Under the Linden 1911

Helene Schjerfbeck made "Under the Linden" with paint, building an image from a series of marks, laid down and blended to build a picture. The painting has a dreamy quality, with a gentle palette of muted greens, blues, and pinks. The paint is applied thinly, almost like watercolor, and the surface has a soft, matte finish, which gives the whole painting this feeling of being caught between sleep and wakefulness. Look at the girl's face. It's a series of soft pinks and blues, almost as if she is fading into the background. The way Schjerfbeck models the figure reminds me of James McNeil Whistler, who was also interested in the subtlety of tone, and the way that a painting can create a mood. "Under the Linden" shows how art embraces ambiguity, inviting us to find our own meanings and experiences.