Finland, Part 2 - the Art of Albert Edelfelt

Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905) was a Finnish painter of Swedish descent who was a big proponent of Finland's culture prior to its independence from Russia in 1918.  Google him some time and treat yourself to some of his work.  For our purposes, I am focusing mostly on his academic nudes, but trust me, his other work is worth the time for a look.  This photo is by Daniel Nyblin.

 

This painting of an older male model was a preview of Edelfelt's 

later work in which he often featured older individuals of both genders.

 

I believe this drawing was done during Edelfelt's training in Paris.

 

This painting of a seated male nude by Edelfelt is quite good for an academic piece.

 

I'm including this Edelfelt painting of Carl Gustaf Estlander 

as an example of the excellent portrait work of the artist.

 

This 1877 drawing of a young man shows a naturalistic style that Edelfelt

maintained throughout most of his career. although he did depart from it late in life.

 

 

This academic painting by Albert Edelfelt features a model seen in a number of French 

artists' student works.  I checked, and sure enough, Edelfelt studied in Paris at age 20-24.