DESMALEZANDO || Christa Zaat

Christa Zaat



Eero Järnefelt (Finnish painter) 1863 - 1937 
Kaski (Raatajat Rahanalaiset) (Under the Yoke (Burning the Brushwood)), 1893
oil on canvas
131 × 164 cm. (51.6 × 64.6 in)
Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki, Finland

Under the Yoke (Burning the Brushwood) is Eero Järnefelt's most famous work. It was first named in words from the Kalevala, while the name in brackets appeared when it was exhibited in 1897. The scene was painted in Lapinlahti, Northern Savo, where the Järnefelts spent the summer of 1893 at the Rannan Puurula farmhouse. The tradition of burn-beating was still practiced in the area, and the artist drew sketches of the land and took photographs of the men and women at work during the summer. The model for the main character in the painting was Johanna Kokkonen, a 14-year-old maid of the household. Järnefelt has blackened the girl's face with soot, added a surrounding halo of smoke and painted such reproach in her eyes as to appeal to the viewer's heart on behalf of these heavily burdened people.

* * *

Eero Erik Nikolai Järnefelt was born on 8 November 1863 in Viipuri, Finland, the son of August Aleksander Järnefelt, a general in the Russian army, and Elisabeth Järnefelt (née Clodt von Jürgensburg). His sisters and brothers were Kasper, Arvid, Aino Ellida, Ellen, Armas, Hilja and Sigrid. He studied at the St. Petersburg Art Academy between 1883 and 1885 - the school at which Albert Edelfelt had studied. In 1886 he went to study in Paris, where he became friends with Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Emil Wikström and Louis Sparre, and was inspired by the plein-air and naturalistic paintings of Jules Bastien-Lepage.
On a trip to Keuruu in 1889, he met actress Saimi Swan. They were married in 1890. In 1892 his sister Aino Jarnefelt married the composer, Jean Sibelius.

Eero Järnefelt was one of the most important figures in the golden age of Finnish art. He is best known for capturing the majestic landscapes of Koli and as a master of portraiture. Other themes that were close to his heart included Suviranta, his lakeside atelier home by Tuusulanjärvi, and the surrounding nature, as well as members of his family.