Albert Edelfelt Prints – Figures at Work, Leisure & the Water
Albert Edelfelt prints show people absorbed in work, conversation and leisure, from a laboratory interior to a boat on pale water. Clothing, small objects and the surrounding light help establish the activity of each scene. Explore these encounters alongside figurative art and the broader Scandinavian collection.
A group close to the landing
Girls in a Rowing Boat places three figures in a small boat beside the edge of a wooden structure. Pale water and darker reflections surround the hull. Different head positions and the diagonal oars connect the sitters within the vessel while leaving the open water largely free of detail.
A sitter defined by his work
Louis Pasteur Portrait shows the dark-clothed figure examining a small object beside a table of glass vessels. Warm light from the window catches the face, hands and equipment. The surrounding objects are not merely background decoration: they give the figure an activity and organise the space around him.
Different ages sharing the public garden
The Luxembourg Gardens, Paris gathers adults and children among chairs, paths and open garden space. Pale clothing stands against darker coats and the warm ground. The wide scene contains several small activities, allowing the viewer to move between individual encounters without reducing the garden to one central portrait.
Related artists and collections
Compare northern figures in Michael Ancher, outdoor leisure in Peder Severin Krøyer and portrait light in John Singer Sargent. The Scandinavian art collection develops the regional connections, while portraits and people follows the different ways artists describe a sitter through setting and activity.
Read more in our Peder Severin Krøyer’s northern light and figures.