Torsten Wasastjerna

Torsten Wasastjerna
A head and shoulders photo portrait of a forty something man, with a broad pointy moustache and long goatee bread, wearing a white scarf, facing to the left
Born
Torsten Gideon Wasastjerna

(1863-12-17)17 December 1863
Helsinki, Grand Duchy of Finland
Died1 July 1924(1924-07-01) (aged 60)
Helsinki, Finland

Torsten Gideon Wasastjerna (17 December 1863 – 1 July 1924) was a Finnish painter.[1]

Wasastjerna started his studies in 1883 at the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki under Adolf von Becker, spent 1885 – 1888 in Düsseldorf and after that four winters in Paris.[2] During his stay in Paris he painted a number of paintings distinguished by their use of colour, for example French Women Ironing (1889, Ateneum)[3] which has clear impressionist influences. Similar pieces from this time are From Luxembourg Gardens and Place de la Concorde (1890). With the rise of symbolism in the 1890s Wasastjerna started painting bigger works, often focused on fairy tale motifs.[2] His later output included prints, pastels and a number of portraits. He also turned his hand to writing, with a collection of poems, a play, and even a polemic entitled Art’s Friends and Enemies (1902).[4]

Over 40 of Wasastjerna's works are included in the collections of the Finnish National Gallery, many of which on display at the Ateneum museum.[5]

References

  1. ^ "Wasastjerna, Torsten (1863-1924)". Kansallisbiografia.fi (in Finnish). National Biography of Finland. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  2. ^ a b Kruskopf, Erik. "Wasastjerna, Torsten". Uppslagsverket Finland (in Swedish). Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  3. ^ "French Women Ironing, 1889". Ateneum. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  4. ^ Wasastjerna, Torsten (1902). Konstens Vänner och Fiender (in Swedish). Söderströms & Co Förlagsaktiebolag.
  5. ^ "Collections: Wasastjerna (search results)" (in Finnish). Kansallisgalleria (National Gallery). Retrieved 4 April 2024.
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