Service in the Southern Archipelago

1879

Gives up history painting for the open air

Edelfelt himself saw a mismatch in “The Burnt Village” between the historical figures and the realistic outdoor setting: with historical subjects, he wrote, one cannot render reality as in scenes one has seen oneself. After that he almost entirely abandoned history painting and concentrated on painting in the open air.

1879

First success at the Salon: “The Burnt Village”

“The Burnt Village”, a history painting of the Finnish peasant revolt of 1596, brought Edelfelt his first success at the Paris Salon; French critics praised the realism of the figures.

1880

A summer house at Haikko manor

Edelfelt's family bought a summer house at the coastal manor of Haikko near Porvoo, and in 1883 he set up a studio there, often using his family and local people as models. For his painting of an outdoor church service on the shore at Haikko he made a series of oil sketches to catch the exact tones of water and sky.

1881

St Petersburg: commissions from a grand duke and the tsar

Edelfelt visited Saint Petersburg, where Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich, the Emperor's brother, commissioned portraits of his children; this led to a commission to paint the children of Tsar Alexander III.

1881

Meets Louis Pasteur

In 1880 Edelfelt befriended Jean-Baptiste Pasteur, the famous chemist's son, who introduced him to his father the following year. The painter became a close friend of the family and painted many of their portraits over the years.

April – May 1881

Five weeks in Spain

In Spain Edelfelt studied espagnolisme — the Spanish influence on French art since the 1830s — as well as Gypsy culture and Orientalism, which had always interested him. His most important picture from Granada is “Gitana Dancing I”.