Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Good Friends

Albert Edelfelt

Name Class Date
Albert Edelfelt, Good Friends. 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 artsdot.com/en/artists/albert-edelfelt/
Artist’s dates
1854 – 1905
Medium
Acrylic On Canvas
Movement
Realism Painting ordinary people and ordinary work exactly as they are, without making them prettier or grander.
Artistic style
Academic Painting
Influences
French Academic Painting
Notable elements or techniques
Detailed rendering of figures and clothing, use of light and shadow.
Subject or theme
Friendship, companionship

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Albert Edelfelt died in 1905; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 1975.

Source: ArtsDot.com — accessed Oct. 2, 2026

Good Friends — Albert Edelfelt Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Good Friends — 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: artsdot.com/en/art/similar/albert-edelfelt-good-friends-8BWMF6-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Driftwood #b59665

    Catalogued palette

    • #B59665
    • #E4C392
    • #3F4238
    • #946549

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

    Palette
    Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Driftwood
    Intensity
    Vivid 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
    Balanced Harmony 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
    Clear Color Presence 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%
    2. 2 United States of America 8.2%
    3. 3 Finland 7.2%
    4. 4 Netherlands 6.2%
    5. 5 Spain 3.1%
    6. 6 United Kingdom 2.1%
    7. 7 India 2.1%
    8. 8 Sweden 2.1%
    9. 9 Singapore 2.1%
    10. 10 Ukraine 2.1%
    11. · 7 other countries 7.1%

    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 12.2%
    2. 2 At Sea 6.9%
    3. 3 Women outside the Church at Ruokolahti, 1887 3.8%
    4. 4 The Artist's Son Erik in his Pram 3.1%
    5. 5 Jean-Baptiste Pasteur, 1881 3.1%
    6. 6 The Heart of the Forest 3.1%
    7. 7 The Luxembourg Gardens, Paris, 1887 2.3%
    8. 8 Kaukola Ridge at Sunset, 1890 2.3%
    9. 9 Portrait of Maria Hagelstam 2.3%
    10. 10 Portrait of Madame Vallery-Radot, 1888 2.3%
    11. 11 Horace and Lydia (study), 1886 2.3%
    12. 12 Smultron 2.3%
    13. 13 Burnt Village 2.3%
    14. 14 Divine Service in the Uusimaa Archipelago 2.3%
    15. 15 Conveying a Child, 1879 1.5%
    16. 16 Christ and Mary Magdalene, a Finnish Legend, 1890 1.5%
    17. 17 Queen Bianca, 1877 1.5%
    18. 18 Summer Evening, Haiko Bight outside Porvoo, 1889 1.5%
    19. 19 From the Park of Luxembourgh in Paris 1.5%
    20. — Good Friends this painting 0.0%

    Together these works take 58.1% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 155 works by this artist, of which 61 were looked at at least once. This painting has not been looked at yet in that time — it closes the list without a rank. 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.

    Source: ArtsDot.com — accessed Oct. 2, 2026

    Good Friends — Albert Edelfelt Part 2 · In context

    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 Good Friends

    artsdot.com/en/art/download/albert-edelfelt-good-friends-8BWMF6-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Edelfelt, Albert. Good Friends. n.d., https://artsdot.com/en/art/albert-edelfelt-good-friends-8BWMF6-en/
    APA
    Edelfelt, Albert (n.d.). Good Friends [Painting]. https://artsdot.com/en/art/albert-edelfelt-good-friends-8BWMF6-en/
    Chicago
    Albert Edelfelt. Good Friends. n.d. https://artsdot.com/en/art/albert-edelfelt-good-friends-8BWMF6-en/
    Harvard
    Edelfelt, Albert (n.d.) Good Friends. Available at: https://artsdot.com/en/art/albert-edelfelt-good-friends-8BWMF6-en/

    Source: ArtsDot.com — accessed Oct. 2, 2026

    Good Friends — Albert Edelfelt Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Good Friends — 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. Our catalogue files this work under: adam brand, 2000, impressionism. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    4. 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.
    5. Realism: Painting ordinary people and ordinary work exactly as they are, without making them prettier or grander. Where can you see that in this work?

    Your response

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

    Source: ArtsDot.com — accessed Oct. 2, 2026

    Good Friends — Albert Edelfelt Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    What technique and style characterize "Good Friends" by Albert Edelfelt?

    "Good Friends" is made in acrylic on canvas, in the Realism style.

    Is a high-resolution download of "Good Friends" available?

    To get a digital file of "Good Friends" by Albert Edelfelt, order a high-resolution digital image download on its Digital Image page.

    Is Albert Edelfelt, creator of "Good Friends", known under other names?

    Albert Edelfelt appears under the alternate names Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt.