Torsten Wasastjerna

Torsten Gideon Wasastjerna (17 December 1863 – 1 July 1924) was a Finnish painter.

Wasastjerna started his studies in 1883 at the Academy of Fine Arts, Helsinki under Adolf von Becker, spent 1885 – 1888 in Düsseldorf and after that four winters in Paris. During his stay in Paris he painted a number of paintings distinguished by their use of colour, for example French Women Ironing (1889, Ateneum) which has clear impressionist influences. Similar pieces from this time are From Luxembourg Gardens and Place de la Concorde (1890). With the rise of symbolism in the 1890s Wasastjerna started painting bigger works, often focused on fairy tale motifs. His later output included prints, pastels and a number of portraits. He also turned his hand to writing, with a collection of poems, a play, and even a polemic entitled Art’s Friends and Enemies (1902).

Over 40 of Wasastjerna's works are included in the collections of the Finnish National Gallery, many of which on display at the Ateneum museum.