Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Boys on the beach

Name Class Date

Albert Edelfelt, Boys on the beach. Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Albert Edelfelt topimpressionists.com/en/artists/albert-edelfelt/
Artist’s dates
1854 – 1905
Movement
Impressionism Painters working fast and outdoors to catch how light actually looked at one moment, rather than finishing smoothly in a studio.

In context

Boys on the beach — Albert Edelfelt

When might this have been painted?

  1. 1850
  2. 1860
  3. 1870
  4. 1880
  5. 1890
  6. 1900

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 51 at death.

Shaded: the lifetime of Albert Edelfelt (1854–1905) every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1884 Main working years: 1884–1888 Late works: from 1888

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

This record has no exact year on file — using the artist's lifetime and the work's style, what decade would you guess?

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: topimpressionists.com/en/art/similar/albert-edelfelt-boys-on-the-beach-8BWMEP-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Celadon #b9b5ac

    Catalogued palette

    • #B9B5AC
    • #A3957F
    • #34232F
    • #806B54

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Neutrals The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Celadon
    Intensity
    Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Gentle How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Strong Color Unity How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Brilliant How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Muted How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Albert Edelfelt over the last twelve months — 17 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 57.7%5,600 visits
    2. 2 United States of America 8.2%800 visits
    3. 3 Finland 7.2%700 visits
    4. 4 Netherlands 6.2%600 visits
    5. 5 Spain 3.1%300 visits
    6. 6 United Kingdom 2.1%200 visits
    7. 7 India 2.1%200 visits
    8. 8 Sweden 2.1%200 visits
    9. 9 Singapore 2.1%200 visits
    10. 10 Ukraine 2.1%200 visits
    11. · 7 other countries 7.1%700 visits

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Albert Edelfelt

    1. 1 Boys Playing on the Shore, 1884 11.8%1,600 visits
    2. 2 At Sea 6.6%900 visits
    3. 3 Women outside the Church at Ruokolahti, 1887 3.7%500 visits
    4. 4 The Artist's Son Erik in his Pram 2.9%400 visits
    5. 5 Jean-Baptiste Pasteur, 1881 2.9%400 visits
    6. 6 The Heart of the Forest 2.9%400 visits
    7. 7 The Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, 1887 2.2%300 visits
    8. 8 Kaukola Ridge at Sunset, 1890 2.2%300 visits
    9. 9 Portrait of Maria Hagelstam 2.2%300 visits
    10. 10 Summer Evening, Haiko Bight outside Porvoo, 1889 2.2%300 visits
    11. 11 Portrait of Madame Vallery-Radot, 1888 2.2%300 visits
    12. 12 Horace and Lydia (study), 1886 2.2%300 visits
    13. 13 Smultron 2.2%300 visits
    14. 14 Burnt Village 2.2%300 visits
    15. 15 Divine Service in the Uusimaa Archipelago 2.2%300 visits
    16. 16 Conveying a Child, 1879 1.5%200 visits
    17. 17 Christ and Mary Magdalene, a Finnish Legend, 1890 1.5%200 visits
    18. 18 Queen Bianca, 1877 1.5%200 visits
    19. 19 From the Park of Luxembourgh in Paris 1.5%200 visits
    20. 59 Boys on the beach this painting 0.7%100 visits

    Together these works take 57.3% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 155 works by this artist, of which 63 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 59 of them, with 0.7% of that attention (100 visits). The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Albert Edelfelt

    Born in Porvoo, Finland

    early life and education

    albert gustaf aristides edelfelt, a renowned finnish painter, was born on july 21, 1854, in porvoo, finland. his parents, carl albert edelfelt and alexandra edelfelt (née brandt), were swedish-speaking finns. edelfelt's early life was marked by an innate passion for art, which led him to pursue formal studies at the drawing school of the finnish art society in 1869.

    artistic journey

    edelfelt's artistic journey took him to various esteemed institutions, including:

    antwerp academy of art (1873-74), where he honed his skills in history painting.

    école nationale des beaux-arts in paris (1874-78), under the tutelage of jean-léon gérôme, further refining his craft.

    a brief stint at saint petersburg (1881-82) exposed him to diverse artistic influences.

    rise to prominence and notable works

    edelfelt's breakthrough came with a gold medal at the paris universal exposition of 1889. his notable works include:

    portrait of louis pasteur, which earned him the legion of honour in 1886.

    young woman in her boudoir, showcasing his mastery of capturing the essence of femininity.

    under the birches, a poignant representation of finnish landscapes.

    legacy and impact

    as one of the first finnish artists to achieve international fame, edelfelt significantly contributed to the realist art movement in finland. his influence extended to younger finnish painters, such as akseli gallen-kallela and gunnar berndtson, whom he assisted in their breakthroughs in paris.

    museum collections and commemoration

    edelfelt's works are featured in various museums, including the ateneumin taidemuseo in helsinki. his legacy was commemorated with a €100 albert edelfelt commemorative coin in 2004, celebrating his 150th birth anniversary. key artworks and museum collections:

    view albert edelfelt's artworks on AllPaintingsStore

    explore ateneumin taidemuseo's collection on AllPaintingsStore

    discover more:

    atheneumin taidemuseo helsinki, finland on AllPaintingsStore

    albert edelfelt's wikipedia page

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Boys on the beach

    topimpressionists.com/en/art/download/albert-edelfelt-boys-on-the-beach-8BWMEP-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Edelfelt, Albert. Boys on the beach. n.d., https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/albert-edelfelt-boys-on-the-beach-8BWMEP-en/
    APA
    Edelfelt, Albert (n.d.). Boys on the beach [Painting]. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/albert-edelfelt-boys-on-the-beach-8BWMEP-en/
    Chicago
    Albert Edelfelt. Boys on the beach. n.d. https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/albert-edelfelt-boys-on-the-beach-8BWMEP-en/
    Harvard
    Edelfelt, Albert (n.d.) Boys on the beach. Available at: https://topimpressionists.com/en/art/albert-edelfelt-boys-on-the-beach-8BWMEP-en/

    Look closely

    Boys on the beach — Albert Edelfelt

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. How many faces can you find? ____ (our catalogue counts 2 — do you agree?)
    4. Our catalogue files this work under: beach, childhood, leisure. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    5. Look back at The Artist's Son Erik in his Pram, earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Questions & Answers

    Which period of Albert Edelfelt's career does "Boys on the beach" belong to?

    Within Albert Edelfelt's career, "Boys on the beach" falls in the Late Period. The phase helps compare it with the artist's other works.

    Where can I see a preview of "Boys on the beach"?

    The Preview page of "Boys on the beach" lets you preview the artwork before ordering.

    What national origin stands behind the Impressionism of "Boys on the beach"?

    "Boys on the beach" connects the Impressionism movement with Finland through its creator's birthplace.