Biography

Finnish painter, illustrator and etcher. He began his art studies in 1870 at the school of the Finnish Art Society in Helsinki. In 1871-73 he studied at the Academy of Art in Helsinki, in 1873 at the Academy in Antwerp, and in 1874-78 with interruptions at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under Gérôme. Apart from annual visits to Finland, he lived in Paris.

At first he painted history pictures, under the influence of Bastien-Lepage he painted Naturalist landscapes and scenes of Finnish farm life. He won great acclaim with the French public for his portraits. In the 1880s and 1890 he exhibited at the Paris Salon, at the Paris World Fair in 1889 he received the Grand Prix d'Honneur.

Edelfelt was Finland's leading artist in the late 19th century, introducing French influences into Finnish art but also helping to gain a broader international interest in his country's culture. He was not a great innovator, however, and although his reputation in Finland remained firm, international recognition dwindled after his death until the renewal of interest in realism that took place in the late 20th century.