Eero Järnefelt
Eero Erik Nikolai Järnefelt (8 November 1863 - 15 November 1937) was a Finnish realist painter.
Eero Järnefelt was born in Viipuri, Finland. His father August Aleksander Järnefelt was an officer in the Russian army and his mother was Elisabeth Järnefelt (née Clodt von Jürgensburg). He studied at the St. Petersburg art academy between 1883 and 1885, the same school at which Albert Edelfelt had studied. Eero Järnefelt's sister Aino Järnefelt married composer Jean Sibelius in 1892,
Eero Järnefelt's sisters and brothers were Kasper, Arvid, Aino Ellida, Ellen, Armas, Hilja and Sigrid.
He went to study in Paris in 1886, where he became friends with Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Emil Wikström and Louis Sparre. He 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.
His most famous painting is probably The Wage Slaves (Raatajat rahanalaiset or Kaski, from 1893, External link), depicting slash-and-burn agriculture.
Eero Järnefelt was especially inspired by nature in the Koli area, nowadays Koli National Park. Together with A.W. Finch and Ilmari Aalto, he painted a large scene of Koli in 1911. It can be seen in the restaurant of Helsinki railway station.
[edit] External links
- (Finnish)Illustrated biography
