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Eero Jarnefelt (1863-1937) and the family of the artists Klodt

08 September - 12 October 2003
The Marble Palace

The exhibition introduces the oeuvre of Eero Jarnefelt - one of the most prominent artists of "the Golden Age" in the history of Finnish art. The exposition comprises the works by Finnish and Russian artists Klodt interconnected not only by their oeuvre but also by their relative ties. Eero Jarnefelt got his primary art education at the Helsinki school of the Society for the Encouragement of artists in Helsinky. In the 1880s he studied in St. Petersburg, the native city of his mother Elizabeth Jarnefelt, nee Klodt von Jurgensburg, under his uncle Mikhail Klodt, the Professor of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. Mikhail Klodt was a member of the Wanderers Society and was one of the first to combine genre and landscape painting. He had a noticeable influence over his nephew, both in the choice of subjects and his love for clouds and sky. While a student, Eero Jarnefelt was also influenced by Ivan Shiskin, Vasily Polenov, and Arkhip Kuindzhi. It was in 1886-1888, during his studies in Paris, when Eero Jarnefelt became a mature painter. At that time he was greatly influenced by J. Bastien-Lepage, whom he admired all his life. However, Russian culture imbibed, literally and figuratively, with his mother's milk had the greatest impact on his life and oeuvre. Eero Jarnefelt's oeuvre is most diverse. He was a pioneer of Finnish graphic art, created altar paintings, made wall paintings on historical and mythological subjects. In the late works of the artist we find satirical portrayal of folk life, which is most uncommon for Finnish art. The exhibition is organized by the State Russian Museum, Helsinki Athenaeum museum, Eero Jarnefelt Society, and the Institute of Finland in St.Petersburg.