Breton Girl Holding a Jar stands as the most notable work by the artist Amélie Lundahl, who produced paintings across multiple European locations during the late nineteenth century. Emerging from the Grand Duchy of Finland, she navigated a career that spanned formal training in Nordic academies and an extended period of residence in France.
Early Life and Education
Born in Oulu in 1850, Amélie Lundahl was the youngest of eleven children. Her early life was marked by familial loss, as her mother died when she was three months old and her father, the public prosecutor Abraham, passed away when she was eight. Between 1860 and 1862, she attended the Svenska Privatskolan in Oulu. Her formal artistic development began at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, where she studied from 1872 to 1876. A travel grant subsequently facilitated a period of study at the School of Art and Design in Stockholm.
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With the assistance of another travel grant, she moved to Paris in 1877. She spent four years enrolled at the Académie Julian, studying under instructors including Tony Robert-Fleury. This period marked the beginning of a twelve-year stay in France. During this time, she frequented Brittany, establishing it as a primary location for her creative output. The landscapes and subjects she encountered there remained a consistent focus throughout her middle career.
Professional Activity and Death
Upon her return to Finland in 1889, she contributed to the establishment of the Önningebykolonin, an art colony located in the village of Önningeby in Åland. Her career took her to various working environments throughout her life, including Concarneau, Visby, Pont-Aven, and Douarnenez. She lived and worked as a painter until her death in 1914 in Helsinki, where she died at the age of 64, reportedly from leukemia.
Fast facts
- Born: 1850, Oulu
- Died: 1914, Helsinki
- Citizenship: Grand Duchy of Finland
- Primary Education: Académie Julian
- Notable Work: Breton Girl Holding a Jar
- Key Locations: Concarneau, Visby, Pont-Aven, Douarnenez, Önningeby
Questions readers ask
Where did Amélie Lundahl receive her artistic training?
She studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, the School of Art and Design in Stockholm, and the Académie Julian in Paris.
What was the artist's role in the Önningebykolonin?
She helped to found this art colony in the village of Önningeby in Åland after returning to Finland in 1889.
Achievements
- Notable work: Breton Girl Holding a Jar
