Helene Schjerfbeck review – a chilling blast of Nordic noir

Royal Academy, London
The Finnish painter’s early work shows ability and vision, but this exhibition celebrates her long, brutal decline into decay and deathThe Finnish painter Helene Schjerfbeck is not exactly a household name in Britain – and there’s no reason she should be. This is the first UK solo show of her sort-of expressionist works and it’s strictly for the dutiful. It might serve to cool you down on a hot day, though. Schjerfbeck’s uninspired miserabilism