Albert Edelfelt
'WHITE MANTILLA' ('LA SEÑORITA').
Sign. Paris 1878. Oil on canvas, laid on board. 47x38 cm.
Wear due to age and use. Crazing.
Exhibitions
Turku Art Museum, 2001
Tikanoja Art Museum, 2001, 2005
More information
Not until the spring of 1881 did Albert Edelfelt travel to Spain. A few years earlier he had applied for a stipend for the visit, specifically to study the art of Velázques, but also to get acquainted with the Spanish people and the countryside. However, Edelfelt was painting "La Señorita" several years before this trip, in 1878. His friend, the model Antonia Bonjean, dressed in a lace mantilla with flowers in her hair as she sat for the painting.
All things Spanish were à la mode in Paris at this time - from the 1850s Spanish theatre groups and dancers had performed in the city. The artists living in France were inspired by the Spanish sun, the rhythms, colours and the noble elegance. Georges Bizet's Carmen premiered, Édouard Manet was inspired by Goya and Zurbarán, and Napoleon II's wife herself, the fashion-conscious empress Eugénie, one of the most celebrated beauties of her time, was born a duschess in Granada, Spain.
The beauty in Edelfelt's painting, however, is not presented in typically Spanish, dynamic hues. Instead, the painter has portrayed a charming lady in a vivid yellow dress, a pretty lace scarf draped over the traditional decorative comb, the peineta. Edelfelt has encompassed the figure entirely in the white background, as if surrounded by a soft mist, and the faint smile on her lips speaks of inner peace and contentment. The entire work is a gem in the cavalcade of beautiful women.
Artist
Albert Edelfelt is considered one of Finland's greatest artists of the 19th century. After studying in Antwerp and Paris, he settled in France, where he received several exhibition medals and was honored with the Legion of Honour, notably for the famous portrait of Pasteur. He was also summoned by Alexander III to St. Petersburg to portray the Tsar's children. Edelfelt often returned to themes from Finnish history, such as his illustrations for 'The Tales of Ensign Stål.'
Edelfelt's works display an artistic breadth that ranges from everyday life in the Finnish archipelago to prestigious society portraits and historical paintings. In his depictions of everyday life, he managed to merge traditional academic painting with the new techniques of plein air painting, which achieved great success in France. The painting 'The Funeral of a Child' was awarded a third-class medal at the annual Salon in Paris in 1880, marking the most significant international success for Finnish painting at the time.
Albert Edelfelt is primarily represented in Ateneum in Helsinki, but also in the National Museum in Stockholm, as well as museums in Copenhagen, Luxembourg, and Paris.
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