Forty Years Old 1939

Helene Schjerfbeck painted this portrait, called 'Forty Years Old,' with oil on canvas. There's a directness in the way the colors are laid down, like she's figuring it out as she goes. It's not labored over; it's about the process of seeing and responding. You can see the weave of the canvas right through the paint, which gives it an immediacy. Look at the face: the way Schjerfbeck uses light and shadow to create these almost geometric planes. It's simplified but still so expressive. She uses this limited palette of pinks, greys, and browns, but she coaxes so much depth from it. The dark outline of the lips is striking. It's bold, even a little severe, and it makes you wonder what the subject is thinking. She reminds me of someone like Marsden Hartley, who also wasn't afraid to strip things down to their essence. It's about finding a personal truth in the act of painting.