Girl Reading 1904

Helene Schjerfbeck made this painting, Girl Reading, in 1904, and it’s interesting how the image seems to emerge from a haze of browns and grays. You can see the decisions Schjerfbeck made in the moment. The surface has this cool, understated quality. It’s not about showing off technique, but more about capturing a feeling, like a memory fading at the edges. Look closely, and you can see how the chair is built from layers of translucent strokes, almost as if it’s dissolving into the background. Notice, the way the light catches the side of her face and the whiteness of the page, the way it contrasts to the charcoal smudge of the skirt. Schjerfbeck reminds me a little of Morandi, who was working around the same time. Both artists had a way of making the ordinary feel profound, like they were onto some kind of secret about the world. Art is all about this conversation, of people seeing, interpreting, and then responding.