Albert Edelfelt - The Man
This week we will learn about Albert Edelfelt, the renowned Finnish painter, in a 3 part series, beginning with this post about his personal life. Please note that none of these images have been digitally restored.
Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt was born on July 21, 1854, in Porvoo, Finland. Edelfelt's father, Carl Albert Edelfelt, hailed from a Swedish military family and rose to prominence as a provincial architect in Finland. In 1852, Carl Albert Edelfelt married Alexandra Brandt, the daughter of a prosperous merchant and shipowner in Porvoo.
Albert Edelfelt's early passion for drawing garnered parental encouragement, leading him to begin formal lessons at the drawing school of the Finnish Art Society in 1869 under Carl Sjöstrand.
In the spring of 1869, Carl Edelfelt passed away from haemoptysis, burdening his family with considerable debts. Left to navigate challenging financial circumstances, Albert's mother assumed the responsibility of raising Albert and his three sisters—Berta, Annie, and Ellen—on her own.
Albert Edelfelt and his sister Ellen (Source: Museovirasto)
Albert inherited his father's passion for music and drawing, but it was his mother, Alexandra Brandt, who cultivated his admiration for the national poet J. L. Runeberg and steered him towards Runebergian idealism. Their close relationship played a pivotal role in shaping Albert's artistic aspirations.
In the spring of 1871, Albert Edelfelt completed his secondary education and began his university studies, focusing on Latin, Greek, and History. While studying at the Imperial University in Helsinki, Edelfelt received art tutoring first with Adolf von Becker and later as the recipient of a scholarship to study history painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium.
Portrait of Albert Edelfelt as a young man (Source: Museovirasto)
Edelfelt's personal life, often intertwined with his art, remains a subject of fascination. He married Baroness Anna Elise "Ellan" de la Chapelle in 1888, and they had one child, Erik, later that year. However, it is said that their marriage lacked warmth, leading to emotional distance. Edelfelt's romantic escapades, spanning from the widow of a Turkish colonel to the alluring Frenchwoman Madame Durand, punctuated his life. These passionate relationships, chronicled by biographer Bertel Hintze, underscored Edelfelt's complex persona.
Portrait of Albert Edelfelt by Daniel Nyblin (Source: Museovirasto)
Edelfelt’s relentless pace, coupled with his amorous pursuits, took a toll on his health, culminating in his untimely death from heart failure in August 1905.
Albert Edelfelt at Haikko in 1907 (Source: Museovirasto)
