ABSTRACT
Ellen Thesleff stands alongside Helene Schjerfbeck as one of the most significant artists to emerge in Finland in the nineteenth century. This chapter explores how Thesleff created new and modern alternatives in depicting female corporeality through moving, dancing, and space. According to feminist art historian Griselda Pollock, it is important to examine how women painters developed alternative models for negotiating modernity and the spaces and bodies of femininity. Thesleff’s portrayal of the young girls moving together in nature reflects a shift in her approach towards Expressionism: the work is radical in its spontaneous and liberal use of color to depict the moving female body in nature. Through Craig, Thesleff also became familiar with the vitalist reform movement that took shape in early-twentieth-century Europe.
