Sirkustyttö
unspecified
From the collection of Finnish National Gallery
unspecified
From the collection of Finnish National Gallery
Sirkustyttö is an unspecified by Helene Schjerfbeck, held at Finnish National Gallery.
This painting shows a woman’s face and shoulders from the chest up. Her lips are painted bright red, almost like a clown’s, but her eyes look calm. The skin is soft, with light pink and yellow tones, while the background is a plain, pale gold. The brushstrokes are loose and quick, almost like a sketch. The artist didn’t smooth out the colors—you can see where the paint was applied in rough patches. Next, look up technique: impasto to see how thick paint layers create texture like this.
