Venny Soldan-Brofeldt (1863–1945) - Two Pine Sap Flowers (Tallörter)

Two Pine Sap Flowers (Tallörter)

oil on canvas mounted on board
c. 1944–45
signed lower left: V.S-B.
unframed 22.5 x 16 cm
framed 37 x 31 cm
hand-made frame by Christer Björkman.

Essay:
This late work by Venny Soldan-Brofeldt, likely painted in the final years of her life, depicts two flowering Tallört plants (Monotropa Hypopitys)—a delicate and unusual forest plant that lacks chlorophyll and survives as a parasite, giving it its characteristically pale, yellowish tones. The gently nodding flower clusters and fleshy, scale-like leaves are rendered with remarkable softness and sensitivity, surrounded by a dreamlike blend of pastel hues. In the background, the faint outlines of a lake shimmer through the misty light, suggesting the location to be Lohjanharju—a 200-kilometer-long ridge in southern Finland where Soldan-Brofeldt spent her final years in a self-built cottage near Lohja.

The work bears strong resemblance to her 1943 painting Lake Hildenvisi After Sunset, both in palette and in atmosphere. Throughout the 1940s, she painted several views of the lakes and forests in the region, often focusing on the quiet poetry of nature’s smaller details.

Born Wendla Irene Soldan in 1863, Venny Soldan-Brofeldt was one of Finland’s pioneering female artists. She studied at the Finnish Art Association’s drawing school and later in St. Petersburg, Paris, and on study trips through Italy and Spain. A central figure in Finland’s cultural life, she was married to the writer Juhani Aho, and their home became a celebrated salon for the Finnish artistic and literary elite, including Jean Sibelius and Albert Edelfelt. Despite personal upheavals, she maintained a prolific artistic career and was known for her independent spirit, unorthodox lifestyle, and wide-ranging talents, which included illustration, design, and painting.

Painted shortly before her death in 1945, this work is not only a lyrical study of nature, but also a testament to a life spent observing and honoring the natural world. The pine sap flower, whose name hypopitys means “under the pine,” thrives in shadowed forests—its subtle, hidden beauty mirroring the quiet strength and resilience of the artist herself.