30 - Painting and graphic arts
YOUNG CULTURE
I went for a walk in the Museum of Modern Art in Turku and looked for information about the history of art in Finland. It is important to know that Finnish culture is relatively young. It is still developing intensely. Between the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, artistic creation crystallized around the cult of national identity. It was still necessary to get rid of the Swedish traditions conveyed by an omnipresent Swedish-speaking elite. The painters were therefore inspired by the Finnish regions of expression, such as Karelia, the cradle of the Kalevala.
NATIONAL ROMANTICISM
National Romanticism, the Nordic counterpart of Art Nouveau, found its most brilliant spokesman in the painter Aleksis Gallèn-Kallela (1865-1931), who drew the essence of his work from the Kalevala. Writers and composers alike find inspiration in the Karelian forests to uncover their authentic Finnish roots. The large canvases of Gallèn-Kallela are the most original expression of Finnish art. Other classical painters are also known, such as the three brothers von Wright (romantic landscapes and bird scenes) and Werner Holmberg (landscapes). Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905), one of the first realists, is the author of a famous portrait of Pasteur. Helena Schjerfbeck (1862-1946) was one of the first artists to open up to modern outside influences. She is now one of the most famous painters in the country.
ABSTRACT PAINTING
From the 1930s onwards, while abstract painting gradually gained ground, abstraction and surrealism had little resonance in Finland. The painter Ellen Thesleff approached Abstract Expressionism out of intuition and a taste for synthesis. In spite of the artistic impasses associated with an overly patriotic conservatism, national Romanticism continues to fascinate the Finnish public.
HELSINKI ATENEUM MUSEUM
The most interesting collections of Finnish painting can be seen at the Ateneum Museum in Helsinki. Contemporary sculpture was for a long time dominated by the figure of Wainö Aaltonen (1894-1966), author of the statue of Aleksis Kivi in Helsinkl, who still powerfully expresses national ideals in granite, marble or stone. Aaltonen, Gallén-Kallela and Sibelius each in their own way express a passionate fidelity to the roots of their country and a deep faith in its values.
I went for a walk in the Museum of Modern Art in Turku and looked for information about the history of art in Finland. It is important to know that Finnish culture is relatively young. It is still developing intensely. Between the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, artistic creation crystallized around the cult of national identity. It was still necessary to get rid of the Swedish traditions conveyed by an omnipresent Swedish-speaking elite. The painters were therefore inspired by the Finnish regions of expression, such as Karelia, the cradle of the Kalevala.
NATIONAL ROMANTICISM
National Romanticism, the Nordic counterpart of Art Nouveau, found its most brilliant spokesman in the painter Aleksis Gallèn-Kallela (1865-1931), who drew the essence of his work from the Kalevala. Writers and composers alike find inspiration in the Karelian forests to uncover their authentic Finnish roots. The large canvases of Gallèn-Kallela are the most original expression of Finnish art. Other classical painters are also known, such as the three brothers von Wright (romantic landscapes and bird scenes) and Werner Holmberg (landscapes). Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905), one of the first realists, is the author of a famous portrait of Pasteur. Helena Schjerfbeck (1862-1946) was one of the first artists to open up to modern outside influences. She is now one of the most famous painters in the country.
ABSTRACT PAINTING
From the 1930s onwards, while abstract painting gradually gained ground, abstraction and surrealism had little resonance in Finland. The painter Ellen Thesleff approached Abstract Expressionism out of intuition and a taste for synthesis. In spite of the artistic impasses associated with an overly patriotic conservatism, national Romanticism continues to fascinate the Finnish public.
HELSINKI ATENEUM MUSEUM
The most interesting collections of Finnish painting can be seen at the Ateneum Museum in Helsinki. Contemporary sculpture was for a long time dominated by the figure of Wainö Aaltonen (1894-1966), author of the statue of Aleksis Kivi in Helsinkl, who still powerfully expresses national ideals in granite, marble or stone. Aaltonen, Gallén-Kallela and Sibelius each in their own way express a passionate fidelity to the roots of their country and a deep faith in its values.
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