Finnish painter. He was born Viipuri (now Vyborg and part of Russia), Finland to August Aleksander Järnefelt, an officer in the Russian army and Elisabeth Järnefelt (née Clodt von Jürgensburg). He studied at the St. Petersburg art academy under his uncle Mikhail Klodt (1835-1914) between 1883 and 1885. Klodt's love of sky and clouds influenced Järnefelt considerably. His sister Aino Järnefelt married composer Jean Sibelius in 1892 and remained with him until his death. In 1886-1888, 1889 and 1890-1891 he studied in Paris. He became friends with Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Emil Wikström and Louis Sparre. Jules Bastien-Lepage was a great influence. Returning to Finland he travelled to Keuruu in 1889, where he met actress Saimi Swan (1867-1944). They were married in 1890. In 1892, he travelled to Koli in Northern Karelia for the first time, a place which was to have a profound effect on his work. Koli was already becoming a popular destination for artists with an interest in the Kalevala and Karelianism. The hilly region around Koli was a popular subject for Eero. Apart from his normal paintings Järnefelt was a pioneer of Finnish graphic art, created altar paintings, and made many murals on historical and mythological subjects. Järnefelt won the gold medal at the World Fair in 1899 and 1900. From 1902 he worked as a teacher. //