Friday Bliss #96 - Visual Art Day

Today we celebrate in Finland The Visual Art Day. It is the birthday of our beloved painter Helene Schjerfbeck (1862-1946). I love her art and have seen her paintings in many museums & exhibitions and read her biography. She is famous of her brutal series of self portraits - HERE my post from the exhibition On my Travels I Found Myself at Ateneum Art Museum last winter.

I have this wonderful book with poems of Edith Södergran (1892-1923), illustrated with Schjerfbeck’s art. Södergran was Swedish-speaking, is highly praised, but died tragically young of tuberculosis. Poem Hunter has on their site  more translated poems. She loved cats. On the photo with Totti.
HIER zwei Gedichte von Södergran auf deutsch.

THE STARS

When night comes

I stand on the steps and listen,

stars swarm in the yard

and I stand in the dark.

Listen, a star fell with a clang!

Don’t go out in the grass with bare feet;

my yard is full of shards.

THE LAND THAT IS NOT

I long for the land that is not,

For all that is, I am weary of wanting.

The moon speaks to me in silvern runes

About the land that is not.

The land where all our wishes become wondrously fulfilled,

The land where all our fetters fall,

The land where we cool our bleeding forehead

In the dew of the moon.

My life was a burning illusion,

But one thing I have found and one thing I have really won - 

The road to the land that is not.
***

Jag längtar till landet som icke är,

ty allting som är, är jag trött att begära.

Månen berättar mig i silverne runor

om landet som icke är.

Landet, där all vår önskan blir underbart upp-

fylld,

landet, där alla våra kedjor falla,

landet, där vi svalka vår sargade panna

i månens dagg.

Mitt liv var en het villa.

Men ett har jag funnit och ett har jag verkligen

vunnit –

vägen till landet som icke är.

Trees in Wind 1918, private collection / Ateneum’s exhibition Silent Beauty.

 See more paintings by Helene Schjerfbeck at Wikiart.

❤︎❤︎❤︎

Sun, Joy & Happiness to your weekend!

#FRIDAY BLISS

The link is open

FROM FRIDAY 7 AM TILL THE NEXT TUESDAY 4 PM

Helsinki time

Click here to enter