During his second stay in Paris in 1893, he painted The Awakening, in which he used a rigorous composition and transparent colors to suggest a spiritual atmosphere; and, through contact with the Swedish artists, Olof Sager-Nelson and Ivan Aguéli, he deepened his interest in mysticism.

As Routledge's Who's Who in Gay and Lesbian History puts it, "His love affairs with men have not been denied.

[10] In 1894 and 1895 Enckell traveled to Milan, Florence, Ravenna, Siena and Venice, where his inner conflicts were reflected in his art.

In 1898 he taught himself fresco and tempera techniques in Florence, by studying the work of Masaccio and Fra Angelico.

In the first years of the twentieth century, under the influence of Post Impressionism, he developed a brighter, more colorful palette.

Together with Verner Thomé and Ellen Thesleff, Enckell founded the group Septem, in which artists who shared his beliefs came together.

[9] In 1920, Enckell bought Villa Eka in Espoo, Finland from Ellan de la Chapelle, the wife of Albert Edelfelt.