Lake Shore with Reeds , 1905
Eero Järnefelt
Finnish, 1863-1937
Oil on canvas, 95.5 x 75.5 cm
Ateneum Art Museum, A II 798

Where Pekka Halonen would paint scenes of winter and spring, Järnefelt would repeatedly use the flourishing summer and autumn as themes of nature. Many of his landscapes from Koli are specifically autumn landscapes. The 'self evident' richness of colour of the Nordic autumn depicted in the paintings partially disguises Järnefelt's own inclination to express the mood he wanted of the landscape as strong atmospheric colouring.

Lake Shore with Reeds was painted in the artist's new home district on the shore of lake Tuusulanjärvi. A dry but cloudy day has turned into a meditative picture in which the landscape elements that seem Spartan to begin with create a rich texture: the land, water and air - fixed and shapeless, cold and warm colours - are partly clearly delineated and partly merge into each other.

The painting's gently curving decorative forms and colour composition show that the synthesized, stylized approach of symbolic art of the 1890s left a strong and permanent impression in Järnefelt's painting.

   

This exhibition has been organized by the Nordic National Galleries