Maija is Ill 1909

Pekka Halonen made this image of his daughter Maija in 1909, using an etching technique. Look at how the scene is built from tiny, hatched lines. I can imagine Halonen bent over a metal plate, carefully layering marks to build up the image, almost like drawing with light. There is a softness to the image, a quiet intimacy. You can feel the weight of her illness through the delicate lines describing her still form. Halonen was part of a generation of artists who embraced realism but brought a kind of psychological depth to their work, a bit like Munch. I wonder what Halonen was thinking as he made this— maybe capturing a moment of vulnerability, a wish for his daughter’s quick recovery?