Summer, Gunnar Berndtson 1893, oil painting, 61x44 cm

Summer, Gunnar Berndtson 1893, oil painting, 61x44 cm Turku Art Museum, Finland

Life in 19th century Finland was not at all as easy-going as this painting suggests. Most Fins were poor and had to spend the summer working on farms. Berndtson shows well-off people enjoying the afternoon in a relaxing atmosphere in a typical Scandinavian landscape. The woman could be a mother looking up from her book while her son approaches in a boat.

This detail is a work of art in itself. The woman seems to move, leaning backwards to be able to see better, maybe even shout a warning. In the meantime her hand holds the book to be able to start reading again.

The famine of Only 25 years before this romantic scene was painted, Finland suffered the last of the European famines. A series of harvest disasters caused by extreme weather conditions resulted in deaths (about 15% of the entire population), more than the normal mortality rate. In the aftermath, contagious diseases continue to spread and thousands of Finns emigrated to the United States of America.