Beskrivning: Teckningen föreställer en scen ur Johan Ludvig Runebergs dikt Kung Fjalar. Till vänster håller en äldre man ett barn.

Description: Two drawings by Schjerfbeck illustrate different aspects of her early interests as an artist (see also: NMH 72/2017). In this first case, a literary subject taken from Runeberg’s old Norse drama Kung Fjalar, shows her ambitions in the 1870s to become a history painter. The second drawing (NMH 72/2017), a subtle study in coal of an interior, is drawn practically without lines, with a strong emphasis on atmosphere and volume. Schjerfbeck has used the medium to highlight the formal qualities of the room in a bold personal manner that she would continue to develop in the coming years.