Self-portrait with Black Background

Helene Schjerfbeck - Self-portrait with Black Background. Oil on canvas, 1915

Helena Sofia (Helene) Schjerfbeck (pronounced [hɛˈleːn ˈɧærvbɛk]; July 10, 1862 – January 23, 1946) was a Finnish painter. She is most widely known for her realist works and self-portraits, and less well known for her landscapes and still lifes. Throughout her long life, her work changed dramatically.