1870
unspecified
From the collection of Finnish National Gallery
Dominant colour
Ahvenanmaalaisia miehiä pelaamassa korttia kajuutassa (Ristiässä) is a 1870 unspecified by Karl Jansson, held at Finnish National Gallery.
Four men sit in a dim, cramped room playing cards. The air is thick with smoke from pipes, and the walls are dark wood. One man holds a pipe, another squints at his cards, and a boy watches closely. A small table sits between them, cluttered with playing cards and a wooden box. A cat curls up in the corner, and a lantern hangs from the ceiling, casting flickering light. Notice how the artist uses deep shadows to make the faces and hands stand out. The contrast between light and dark pulls your eye to the players’ expressions. Look up chiaroscuro next to see how this lighting trick works in other paintings.
Karl Emanuel Jansson (7 July 1846, in Finström – 1 June 1874, in Jomala) was a Finnish painter, primarily of genre scenes.
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