The majestic building of the Academy of Arts adorns the Neva embankment between the 3rd and 4th lines of Vasilyevsky Island. It represents one of the best monuments of classical architecture.
The authors of the project are A.F. Kokorinov and J.B. Delamot. The imperial “academy of the three most noble arts” (“Kolmen paataiteen akatemia”) - painting, sculpture and architecture - was founded in 1757 during the era of Queen Elizabeth. Over the two and a half centuries of its activity, the Academy has trained many generations of masters of fine art: painters, sculptors, architects. Among them are great artists, whose works are presented in museums in St. Petersburg, Moscow and many European capitals.
Architects and sculptors - graduates of the Academy built and decorated many cities in Russia and abroad. They built a lot in St. Petersburg. Their works are also in Finland, because for many years the Academy of Arts was a place of active communication between Russian and Finnish art. The best Finnish artists were awarded the title of “Academicians of Fine Arts”. Among them were V. Runeberg, KG Nyström. But the first, of course, should be named, AZdelfelt.
Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt, 1854-1905
The greatest master of historical painting, portraiture, and everyday life. The first Finnish artist to be known abroad. Albert "was born near Porvoo in the family of an architect. He studied at the University of Helsinki for two years before deciding to devote himself to painting. He received his artistic education at the Academy of Arts in Antwerp, and then in Paris at the School of Fine Arts. In 1877-80, Edelfelt creates a number of paintings on historical subjects. But then the artist turns to genre subjects from nature, in which his love for his native land and interest in the life of ordinary people are clearly demonstrated. These are the paintings: “At the Sea”, “Boys by the Water”, “Women from Ruokolahti”. ", "Washerwomen", "Fishermen from the Distant Islands".
In 1881, A. Edelfelt lived and worked in St. Petersburg for a long time, communicating with Russian artists. In 1881, a young Finnish artist presented his works to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He had great success: he was elected a member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. A personal exhibition was organized for him in Tsarskoe Selo. One of the paintings was bought by the imperial family. The author received new orders from the royal family, which brought him fame.
During his stay in Tsarskoe Selo, the artist was introduced to Tsarevich Alexander, and made a number of works commissioned by him for the Gatchina Palace, in particular, a copy of the painting “On the Sea,” which, among his other works, is kept in the Hermitage. Edelfelt's everyday sketches: “Good Friends” and “In the Nursery” were also acquired by Alexander III. These paintings had repetitions that are in foreign museums.
Edelfelt's merit was the organization of a number of joint exhibitions in Russia, thanks to which the Russian public became acquainted with the work of many Finnish artists.
Edelfelt's main activity can be called portrait painting. He worked a lot on orders, in particular from the royal court, creating official portraits. But the best in his portrait work are: “Portrait of the Artist’s Mother” (1883), “Louis Pasteur” (1885), “Portrait of Larin Paraske” (1893), “Portrait of Aino Akte” (1901).
Official presentations and long-term friendly contacts.
The first Finnish artist to have an exhibition at the Imperial Academy of Arts at the end of the nineteenth century was the painter Albert Edelfelt. After a trip to Western Europe in 1881, the young Finnish artist presented his works to the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts. He was a great success - he was awarded the title of academician. A personal exhibition was organized for him in Tsarskoe Selo. One of the paintings was bought by the imperial family.
The author received new orders from the royal family, which brought him fame. The artist’s closeness to the imperial family helped the popularity of Finnish painting in Russia. Thanks to the popularity and authority of A. Edelfelt in Russia, Finnish art was reflected in joint Finnish-Russian art exhibitions in St. Petersburg and Moscow, starting with the Nizhny Novgorod exhibition of 1882.
Finnish artists in the Hermitage
The Hermitage presents seven paintings by Aedelfelt and a number of drawings. In addition to the mentioned painting “On the Sea”, which in its first version is in the Gothenburg Museum, it should be noted the everyday painting composition “Good Friends” (1881), repetitions of which are in Gothenburg and Helsinki. The painting “In the Nursery” (1885), also purchased by Alexander III for the Gatchina Palace, is also close in character. One of Edelfelt’s most democratic works is the painting “The Laundresses” (1898, Hermitage), which received approval from St. Petersburg critics.
The genre of portraiture, in which Aedelfelt was particularly strong, is represented in the Hermitage by a portrait of the wife of the Moscow Art Theater actor M.V. Dyakovskaya-Gey-rot. The Hermitage collection also contains examples of the Finnish artist’s landscape mastery. This is the canvas “View of Porvoo” (1898) and the etching “Pine in the Snow”. It should be mentioned that Aedelfelt’s works are also kept in the Kiev Museum - the painting “Fishermen from the Distant Islands” and in the Moscow Museum. A.S. Pushkin: “Portrait of Varvara Myatleva.”
In addition, the Hermitage has paintings by Juho Risanen, Eero Nelimark and Henry Erikson.
Finnish artists at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts
Architect K. G. Nyström (1856-1917) made a great contribution to the architectural appearance of the capital of Finland. Suffice it to mention the luxurious buildings of the House of Estates and the State Archive, which decorate the surroundings of Senate Square. You can remember the former customs house and warehouse in Katajanokka, the first covered market at Kauppa-tori. But few people know that the architect KG. Nyström also worked in St. Petersburg. According to his design, the building of the surgical clinic of the Medical Institute on the Petrograd side was built.
Nyström was a professor at the Academy of Arts, and was awarded the title of academician of architecture.
The artist J. Rissanen is called one of the most original, strong and deeply national talents in Finnish painting of the last century. He painted portraits and genre paintings from folk life. After studying at the drawing school in Helsinki, he was sent to study at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, where he took a course under the direction of I.E. Repin in 1897-98. Studying in St. Petersburg, communicating with Russian artists and the whole atmosphere of creative life in St. Petersburg, seething with passions, raised the artist’s creativity to new heights. After this, he worked fruitfully for many years in Finland and abroad. It is worth telling in more detail about his studies and life in St. Petersburg.
Juho Rissanen (1873-1950)
Juho Rissanen was born in the vicinity of Kuopio in the family of a farm laborer. He had a hard time as a child, at times he even had to beg when his drunkard father died (frozen to death). In 1896, Juho Rissanen entered the central art and industrial drawing school of the Finnish Art Society in Helsinki, then in Turku.
As a child, Rudolf Koivu attended the St. Petersburg parish church school, where he mastered Finnish and Russian literacy. Since childhood he loved to draw and attracted the attention of teachers in St. Petersburg. He was sent to study, but he had to earn his bread. It was only in 1907 that R. Koivu managed to continue his studies in painting at the drawing school of the Finnish Society of Art Lovers.
There he was a student of Huto Simberg, author of the famous "Wounded Angel". H. Simberg inherited from his teacher Gallen-Kallela a belief in fantasy and the mystical power of nature. Rudolf Koivu then studied in Paris in 1914, and in Italy in 1924. Returning to Finland, he joined the “November Group” of the circle of artists, but remained faithful to the realistic manner and painted his landscapes in a restrained, calm style of impressionism. Much more important than a painter, Koivu was a draftsman and illustrator.
Showing an unusually lively and vivid imagination, he illustrated dozens of fairy-tale books, including Finnish Topelius’s “Reading to Children,” German “Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm,” Arabic tales “The Thousand and One Nights of Scheheraz,” etc. Koivu enjoyed illustrating Christmas newspapers, Finnish calendars and other publications, developing himself, clearly receiving influence primarily from Russian illustrators, a rare efficient, brightly decorated style. His sense of humor is manifested in addition to fairy-tale pictures and drawings, also in his caricatures, which were successful among his contemporaries. A collection (collection) of his paintings and drawings was published, unfortunately, after his death in 1947.
Shulman Carl Allan (Carl Allan Schulman, 1863-1937)
Architect, a man of bright talents and destiny. Karl Allan received an architectural education in Finland, and even during his studies he was imbued with the innovative ideas of young Finnish modernists: E. Saarinen, G. Giselius, A. Lindren. He was attracted to the ideas of modernity. Having not received orders at home, the young architect K.A. Shulman works abroad: in Argentina, Germany, Holland, Sweden.
Upon returning to his homeland, he got the opportunity to build the Hallila resort on the Karelian Isthmus. The success of this construction attracted attention to him in St. Petersburg. In 1901 there was, opposite the Church of the Icon of the Vladimir Mother of God. 88 architects took part in the competition. As a result, the owner of the house, Baron von Besser, entrusted the construction to Shulman. The six-story building in Art Nouveau style decorated the square with its unique flavor. The lower floors are opened with large openings of display windows.
And along the upper floors there is an unusual gallery, above the center of which rises a turret resembling a hero’s helmet. The stone details of the building are made from Finnish potted stone. They provide a characteristic Art Nouveau pattern of ornamentation depicting plants and animals. Above the entrance is the coat of arms of the owner - Baron von Besser. At the beginning of the 20th century, this house housed the reception room of the imperial chancellery, as well as the “House of Diligence for Women.” Now the house on Vladimirskaya is being reconstructed. It will be part of the Vladimirsky Passage shopping complex.
The house on Vladimirskaya is the only building in St. Petersburg by one of the founders of the Finnish school of northern modernism, which later became widespread in the northern capital.
Then it was presented and developed by St. Petersburg architects: F. Lidval, N.V. Vasiliev, A. F. Bubyr. As for K. Shulman, he worked for many years as a provincial architect in the city of Vyborg, where he created 10 multi-storey buildings in the northern modern style. In addition, K.A. Shulman was a prominent figure in the Union of Architects of Finland and acted as a professional musician and conductor. Choir groups under his leadership performed with success in St. Petersburg, Finland and abroad.
Gripenberg Odert Sebastian (Odert Sebastian Gripenberg, 1850-1939)
Gripenberg Odert Sebastian, architect; Born in Kurkijoki. The son of rich and noble parents, Odert studied at the cadet school in Hamina, and then at the St. Petersburg Military Engineering Academy. There he received military construction training, but left the army in 1875. He decided to become a professional architect. During this period, new construction techniques arose in St. Petersburg architecture. Eclecticism - the use of techniques from previous eras: Renaissance, Gothic, Baroque - was combined with the search for new decorative details for processing the facades of multi-storey buildings. These are the famous buildings of A.K.Serebryakov, P.Yu.Syuzor, A.E.Belogrud.
In 1878, Gripenberg defended his diploma in architecture at the Polytechnic School, after which he studied in Vienna. In 1879-87 he worked as an architect in Helsinki. His first works reflect a craving for the Renaissance, and the clear influence of his teacher Shes-three. In the future, there is a desire for a clearly expressed strong breakdown and division of the volumes of the building. These are works such as the building of the Society of Finnish Writers, the First Business Center, then the old Helsingin Sanomat building, the building of the Turku Savings Bank.
In 1887, he was appointed chief architect of the Department of Public (Civil) Construction, from where in 1904 he moved to the Senate as director of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Gripenberg was the head of the board of the Finnish Theater House joint-stock company and the executive director during the creation of the National Theater building, and was also the chairman of the board of directors of the Pohjola insurance company. O.S. Gripenberg was the first chairman of the Finnish club of architects in 1892-1901, as well as one of the founders of the Finnish-language society of technicians.
Albert Gustav Aristide Edelfelt (1854 –1905)
Albert Edelfelt was born in 1854 in Finland near Porvo. His father was an architect. From his father he adopted a love of music and drawing. However, the mother was the closest person to the future artist. Albert Edelfelt was in many ways the creation of his ambitious mother.
Portrait of the artist's mother. 1883
The boy received his first painting lessons at the school of the Finnish Art Society in Helsinki. Deciding to devote himself to painting, he entered the Academy of Arts in Antwerp, but a year later he moved to Paris, where he took lessons from L. Jerome.
Representative of the realistic direction. Experienced the influence of impressionism. The author of historical canvases, paintings from folk life, landscapes, portraits, marked by freedom and expressiveness of artistic form, subtle rendering of the light-air environment, and festive brightness of color.
Already at the age of twenty-three, Edelfelt became the most prominent figure in Finnish painting and led the struggle of the younger generation of artists for realism and work from life. Albert initially intended to become a historical artist. They expected patriotic paintings from him. The most famous painting of this plan was “Duke Charles’s Desecration of the Remains of C. Fleming” (1878). This story highlights the struggle for power in Finland that unfolded at the end of the 16th century.
Duke Charles's desecration of the remains of K. Fleming. 1878
The painting “Queen Blanca with Child” (1877) attracts with its wonderful play of colors and the freshness of youth.
But gradually the living life of his native land attracts him more and more. The artist's next works were created in the style of a realistic depiction of folk life. In his homeland, Albert traveled with fishermen to the open sea more than once, and then in a studio in Heiko he specially installed a sawn fishing boat for precise details. The success of the painting “Funeral of a Child” (1879), as well as the real success of the painting “On the Sea” (1883), made Edelfelt a recognized master in his homeland.
Child's funeral. 1879
On the sea. 1883
Most significantly, A. Edelfelt's reputation as a national artist was confirmed by his paintings from the life of ordinary people in Finland: “Boys by the Water” (1884), “Girl with a Rake” (1886), “Women from Ruoholahti” (1887).
Russian critic V.V. Stasov wrote: “The best of all the Finns, of course, is Edelfelt, and his most remarkable painting is “The Laundresses” (1889), full of healthy, fresh realism and life.” This painting remained in Russia, and since 1930 it has been in the Hermitage.
Laundresses. 1889
The attention of viewers is always attracted by the painting “In the Luxembourg Garden” (1887), imbued with a truly “Parisian spirit”. In his plein air works of these years, A. Edelfelt paid a lot of attention to the problems of light and colors.
In the Luxembourg Gardens. 1887
Having toured Europe, Edelfelt stopped for a long time in St. Petersburg. He first came to St. Petersburg in 1881. Russian artists and society greeted A. Edelfelt with delight. In 1881, the young Finnish painter presented his works to the court of the St. Petersburg Academy. He was a great success: he was awarded the title of academician and a personal exhibition was organized in Tsarskoe Selo. Edelfelt was introduced to the royal family. At the request of Emperor Alexander III, he made a copy of the painting “On the Sea” and made a number of commissioned works. During the same period, the artist created several genre portraits, of which the most popular was the portrait of the artist’s sister Bertha with a dog at her dacha in Heiko.
Good friends. 1881
Under the title "Good Friends" (1881), repetitions of this painting are kept in the Athenaeum and in Gothenburg. A painting of a similar nature, “In the Nursery” (1885), was purchased by Alexander III for the Gatchina Palace. The Athenium also exhibits a portrait of Sophie Manzei created during these years.
Portrait of Sophie Manzei.
Thanks to the popularity and authority of A. Edelfelt, Finnish art received recognition in Russia. In St. Petersburg, Edelfelt met young figures of new Russian art, Sergei Diaghilev and Alexander Benois: “We literally hung on Edelfelt, in our eyes his head was surrounded by a halo of Parisian recognition,” Benois later wrote. The closeness of Finnish and Russian artists was marked by several joint exhibitions. The largest of them was in 1898 in the museum at the Baron Stieglitz School. The works of young artists at that time were presented there: Serov, Repin, Vrubel - from Russia; and M. Enkel, Gallen-Kallela, Järnefeld - from the Finnish side. The exhibition aroused great interest in Finnish culture and Finland itself among the Russian public.
But the main form of creativity for A. Edelfelt in his mature years was portraiture. Edelfelt worked extensively and successfully in the portrait genre. Phe wrote about the order of the French governmentportrait of Louis Pasteur (1885). In the 1880s and 1890s, Edelfelt worked extensively on orders from the Russian royal court. But in addition to official portraits, he created beautiful creations: “Portrait of a Mother”, “Storyteller Larin Paraske”, portraits of the great Finnish actresses Aine Akte and Ida Aalberg.
Landscape occupies relatively little space in Edelfelt's work. However, the Hermitage has his works: “View of Porvo”, watercolor “View of the Lake in Kaukola”, etching “Pine in the Snow”. The Hermitage also presents a number of drawings and illustrations by the remarkable Finnish master.
An outline of Edelfelt's work would be incomplete without mentioning his last work: In 1900-1904, the artist was busy creating a monumental panel in the assembly hall of the University of Helsinki on the theme: "The grand opening of the university in Turku in 1640." The composition was made in the form of a parade procession in costumes of the 17th century.
Inauguration of the university in Turku in 1640 1902 (Clickable)
Albert Edelfelt died suddenly at his dacha near Porvo in August 1905. This was a blow for Finnish art. But his paintings are as interesting and understandable to us as they were to his contemporaries.
Vladimir Losev
Young woman in the boudoir. 1879
On the Champs Elysees. 1886
Portrait of the artist's sister Bertha Edelfelt. 1884
Portrait of the artist's mother. 1902
Woman under an umbrella. 1886
Children of Tsar Alexander III
Parisian model. 1885
Mary Magdalene. 1891
Grief. 1894
Finnish fishermen. 1898
Christ and Mary Magdalene. 1890
Portrait of Louis Pasteur. 1885
Boys playing on the shore. 1884
Small boat. 1884
Woman in a boat. 1886
Neighbors sitting outside the church after mass. 1887
Karelian women. 1887
Girl knitting a sock. 1886
Strawberries.
Pensive woman near the church. 1893
Solveig
Divine service on the Uusimaa archipelago.
Returning from christening.
Portrait of a young woman. 1891
Reading Parisian woman. 1880
Portrait of Madame Valerie-Rado. 1888
Permanent exhibition of the Athenaeum Museum occupies the third floor of the building (small thematic exhibitions are also arranged there), and temporary exhibitions are held on the second floor (plan of the halls). In this note we will talk about some of the most interesting and famous paintings and sculptures in the Athenaeum collection, as well as about their authors: famous Finnish artists and sculptors. Read more about the history of the Athenaeum Museum and the architecture of the museum building can be read. It also provides useful information about ticket prices, opening hours and how to visit the Athenaeum Museum. Attention: it is not always possible to see all famous works in a museum at the same time.
Works by Finnish sculptors
Let's start our walk through the Athenaeum Museum right from the entrance.
In the lobby we are greeted by a marble group " Apollo and Marsyas"(1874) works of the famous Finnish sculptor Walter Runeberg (Walter Magnus Runeberg) (1838-1920), author of monuments to Johan Runeberg and Emperor Alexander II in Helsinki. The sculptor’s father, the poet Johan Runeberg, a representative of the national romantic movement in literature, introduced the ideals of Greek and Roman civilization into Finnish culture, including the value of courage and devotion. His son continued to express these ideals, but through sculpture. In 1858-62. Walter Runeberg studied in Copenhagen at the Academy of Arts under the guidance of the Danish sculptor Hermann Wilhelm Bissen, a student of the famous Thorvaldsen, an internationally recognized master of neoclassical sculpture. In 1862-1876. Runeberg worked in Rome, continuing to study the classical heritage.
In this sculptural group, Runeberg depicted the god of light Apollo, defeating the satyr Marsyas, personifying darkness and earthliness, with his art. The figure of Apollo is made in the spirit of ancient ideals, while this image is clearly contrasted with the baroque-wild shepherd Marsyas. The composition was originally intended to decorate the new Helsinki Student House and was commissioned by a sorority, but then the ladies apparently decided that there was too much nudity in Runeberg’s sculpture. One way or another, in the end the work was donated to the Art Society of Finland - and so it ended up in the collection of the Ateneum Museum.
Upon entering the main exhibition halls of the Athenaeum on the third floor, you can see several more interesting works Finnish sculptors. Marble and bronze sculptures, elegant figurines and vases look especially attractive Ville Wallgren (Ville Vallgren) (1855–1940).Ville Wallgren was one of the first Finnish sculptors who decided, after receiving basic education in Finland, to continue his studies not in Copenhagen, but in Paris. His choice was influenced by the famous artist Albert Edelfelt, also a native of Porvoo. Edelfelt helped his impulsive fellow countryman in other life and professional matters: for example, it was with his help that Wallgren received an order to create the famous fountain “Havis Amanda” (1908) on Esplanade Boulevard in .
Ville Wallgren, who lived in France for almost 40 years, is best known for his sensual female figures in art nouveau style. However, at an early stage of his work, he often depicted young men and adhered to a more classical style (examples include the poetic marble sculptures " Echo" (1887) and " Boy playing with crab(1884), in which Wallgren connects human characters and the natural world).
At the end of the 19th century, Ville Wallgren gained worldwide fame as a remarkable master of decorative figurines, as well as vases, funeral urns and teardrops decorated with figures of mourning weeping girls. But with no less conviction, bon vivant Wallgren also portrayed the joys of life, including flirtatious and seductive women, such as the same Havis Amanda. In addition to the above-mentioned sculpture “Boy Playing with a Crab” (1884), on the third floor of the Athenaeum Museum you can see bronze works by Ville Wallgren: “The Teardrop” (1894), “Spring (Renaissance)” (1895), “Two Young Men” (1893) and a Vase (c. 1894). These exquisite works with perfectly crafted details are small in size, but leave a strong emotional impression and are remembered for their beauty.
Ville Wallgren went through a long journey to become a sculptor, but once he found his direction and enlisted the support of professionals, he became one of the most respected and internationally recognized artists in history. Finnish art. For example, he was the only Finn to receive a Grand Prix medal for his work at the World Exhibition in Paris (this happened in 1900). Wallgren first attracted the attention of colleagues and critics during the 1889 World's Fair, where his relief "Christ" was presented. Once again, the Finnish sculptor made people talk about himself during the Symbolist Parisian salons Rose+Croix in 1892 and 1893. Wallgren's wife was the Swedish artist and sculptor Antoinette Roström ( Antoinette Råström) (1858-1911).
The Golden Age of Finnish Art: Albert Edelfelt, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Eero Järnefelt, Pekka Halonen
In one of the most extensive halls on the third floor Athenaeum Museum Classic paintings are on display, including works by Ville Wallgren's friend - Albert Edelfelt (Albert Edelfelt) (1854-1905), most widely known in the world Finnish artist.
The attention of the audience is sure to be attracted by the fabulous picture " Queen Blanca"(1877) is one of the most popular and beloved paintings in Finland, a real hymn to motherhood. Printed reproductions of this painting and embroidery of it can be found in thousands of homes throughout the country. Edelfelt's inspiration was the story "The Nine Pieces of Silver" by Zacharias Topelius ( De nio silverpenningarna), in which the medieval queen of Sweden and Norway, Blanca of Namur, entertains her son, Prince Hakon Magnusson, the future husband of Margaret I of Denmark, with songs. The result of this marriage, organized precisely Queen Blanca, became the union of Sweden, Norway and Denmark - the Kalmar Union (1397-1453). The pretty Blanca sings to her little son about all these future events.
In the era of the creation of this canvas, historical painting was considered the most noble form of art and was in demand by the educated strata of Finnish society, since national identity was just beginning to take shape at that time. Albert Edelfelt was only 22 years old when he decided to create a painting on the theme of medieval Scandinavian history, and “Queen Blanca” became his first serious work. The artist sought to meet the expectations of his people and embody the historical scene as vividly and authentically as possible (at the time of painting, Edelfelt lived in a cramped attic in Paris and, at the insistence of his teacher Jean-Leon Gerome, studied the costumes of that period, read books about medieval architecture and furniture, visited a medieval Cluny Museum). Look at the skill with which the shining silk of the queen’s dress, the bear skin on the floor and many other details were painted (the artist specially rented the bear skin from a department store). But the main thing in the picture, at least for the modern viewer (and for Edelfelt himself, who loved his mother more than anyone in the world), remains its warm emotional content: the mother’s face and the child’s gestures, which express love, joy and intimacy.
A beautiful 18-year-old Parisian woman served as a model for Queen Blanca, and a handsome Italian boy posed for the prince. Painting "Queen Blanca" was first presented to the public in 1877 at the Paris Salon, was a great success and was replicated in French art publications. Then it was shown in Finland, after which the canvas was sold to Aurora Karamzina. Subsequently, the painting ended up in the collection of tycoon Hjalmar Linder, who donated it Athenaeum Museum in 1920.
Another example of early creativity Albert Edelfelt in the Athenaeum Museum there is a sad painting " Child's funeral"("Transportation of the coffin") (1879). We have already said that in his youth Edelfelt intended to become a history painter; He prepared himself for this while studying in Antwerp and then in Paris. But by the end of the 1870s, his ideals had changed, he became friends with the French artist Bastien-Lepage and became a preacher of plein air painting. Next works Edelfelt are already a realistic reflection of peasant life and the living life of their native land. But the painting “The Funeral of a Child” does not simply reflect a scene of everyday life: it conveys one of the fundamental human emotions - grief.
That year, Edelfelt visited for the first time the dacha rented by his mother on the Haikko estate near Porvoo (later the artist came to these beautiful places every summer). The painting was painted entirely en plein air, for which a large canvas had to be attached to coastal boulders so that it would not flutter in the wind. “I didn’t think it was so difficult to paint outdoors,” Edelfelt told one of his friends. Edelfelt sketched the weathered faces of the inhabitants of the Porvoo archipelago, went out to sea with fishermen more than once, and even specially installed a sawn fishing boat in his workshop to accurately reproduce the details. Edelfelt's painting « Funeral of a Child" was exhibited at the Paris Salon in 1880 and awarded a medal of the 3rd class (for the first time Finnish artist received such an honor). French critics noted the various merits of the film, including the fact that it is devoid of excessive sentimentality, but reflects the dignity with which the characters accept the inevitable.
The picture is imbued with a completely different, sunny and carefree mood. Albert Edelfelt « Luxembourg Gardens"(1887). When Edelfelt painted this painting, he was already a very well-known figure in the Parisian art world. Fascinated by Parisian parks with numerous children and nannies enjoying the good weather, he decided to capture this beauty. By that time, the painter had already lived in Paris for more than ten years, and it is even strange that this painting is his only major work depicting Parisian life. This is probably due to the fierce competition among artists: in this environment it was easier to stand out by working on more “exotic” Finnish subjects. The painting “Luxembourg Garden” is also unusual in that in it Edelfelt used many impressionist techniques. At the same time, unlike the Impressionists, he worked on this canvas for more than a year, both in the open air and in the studio. Work was often slowed down for trivial reasons: bad weather or late models. The self-critical Edelfelt repeatedly reworked the canvas, making changes until the last moment, when it was time to take the work to the exhibition.
The painting was first shown at an exhibition in Galerie Petit in May 1887. Edelfelt himself was not very satisfied with the result: against the backdrop of color explosions in the paintings of the French impressionists, his canvas looked, as it seemed to him, anemic, “liquid.” However, the work was well received by critics and the public. Subsequently, this painting became a kind of symbol of the close ties of Finnish art - and Edelfelt in particular - with Paris, which at that time was the epicenter of the artistic universe.
Picture " Women at the church in Ruokolahti"(1887) Albert Edelfelt wrote in his summer workshop in Haikko - there he created almost all of his works on the theme of folk life. Although the painting reflects impressions of a trip to Eastern Finland, it is known that the models for the painting were women from Haikko (photos of them posing for Edelfelt in his studio have survived). Like other large compositions, this one was not created overnight; careful preliminary sketches were always made. However, the artist's main goal has always been to achieve a spontaneous, vibrant "snapshot" effect.
Next to the works of Albert Edelfelt in the Ateneum Museum you can see paintings by another representative of the golden age of Finnish art, Eero Järnefelta (Eero Jarnefelt) (1863-1937). After completing his studies in Finland, Järnefelt went to Saint Petersburg, where he studied at Academy of Arts from his uncle Mikhail Klodt, became close to Repin and Korovin, and then went to continue his education in Paris. Despite foreign influences, Järnefelt’s work reflects the search for national identity, the desire to emphasize the unique character of his native culture ( more about creativity Eero Järnefelta read ).
Järnefelt is best known as a portrait painter and author of majestic landscapes of the Koli area and the surrounding area of Lake Tuusulanjärvi, where his villa-studio “Suviranta” was located (next door was the house “Ainola”, where the composer Sibelius lived with his wife, Järnefelt’s sister).
But the most important and famous work of Eero Järnefelt is undoubtedly the painting "Under the Yoke" ("Burning the Forest")(1893) (other title options are “ Back benders for money», « Forced labor"). The plot of the canvas is associated with an ancient method of agriculture, which consists of burning forests to obtain arable land (the so-called slash-and-burn agriculture). The painting was created in the summer of 1893 on a farm Rannan Puurula in the town of Lapinlahti, in the Northern Savo region. That year, frost destroyed the harvest for the second time. Järnefelt worked on the farm of a wealthy family and observed the harsh living and working conditions of landless workers who were paid for their work only if the harvest was good. At the same time, Järnefelt made sketches of a burning forest landscape, studied the behavior of fire and smoke, and also filmed villagers who eventually became the main characters of his painting.
Only one character in the picture looks directly at the viewer: this is a girl who has temporarily interrupted her work and is looking at us with an expression of reproach. Her stomach was swollen from hunger, her face and clothes were blackened with soot, and around her head Järnefelt painted smoke resembling a halo. The artist painted this image from a 14-year-old girl named Johanna Kokkonen ( Johanna Kokkonen), servants on the farm. The man in the foreground is Heikki Puurunen ( Heikki Puurunen), the farmer's brother, and the farm owner himself is depicted in the background.
Looking at the picture, you can literally feel the heat of the fire, hear the muffled noise of the flame and the crunch of branches. The picture has several interpretations, but its main meaning seems to be harsh criticism of the oppressed people. The girl from the picture became a generalized image of all the poor and hungry children, all the disadvantaged people of Finland. The canvas was first presented to the public in 1897.
The whole big hall Athenaeum Museum dedicated to the work of another famous representative of the golden age of Finnish fine art - Akseli Gallen-Kallela (Akseli Gallen-Kallela) (1865-1931). Like other major Finnish artists of that period, he studied at. Gallen-Kallela received special attention from the Parisian public during the World Exhibition of 1900, when he created a number of frescoes for the Finnish pavilion based on the Finnish epic “Kalevala”.
During studying in Paris Gallen-Kallela often sketched scenes he noticed on the streets and in cafes. An example of creativity from this period is the painting "Nude" ("Without Mask") (Demasquée ) (1888) - almost the only erotic painting in the work of Gallen-Kallela. It is known that it was created by a 23-year-old artist commissioned by Finnish collector and philanthropist Fridtjof Antell, who wanted to add to his collection of sexually explicit paintings. However, when Antell saw the canvas, he refused to take it, apparently considering the painting too obscene even for his taste.
The painting depicts a nude Parisian woman (apparently a prostitute) sitting in the artist's studio on a sofa covered with a traditional Finnish carpet. The picture gives an idea of the bohemian lifestyle, but at the same time hints that its joys are fraught with death and fall. The artist depicts a lily symbolizing innocence, which is contrasted with an emphatically sensual model and a guitar, whose shape further enhances the erotic sensation. The woman looks both seductive and scary. Crucifix, Buddha statue and antique Finnish carpet Ryuyu, depicted next to the self-satisfied female flesh, hint at the desecration of the saint. On the table in the background, a grinning skull is a frequent element in paintings of the Vanitas genre, reminding the viewer of the frailty of earthly pleasures and the inevitability of death. Canvas Demasquée was first exhibited in Athenaeum Museum in 1893.
Many later works Gallen-Kallela dedicated "Kalevale". When depicting such heroes of the Finnish epic as Väinämöinen and Lemminkäinen, the artist uses a special style, hard and expressive, full of inimitably bright colors and stylized ornaments. From this series it is worth noting the stunning picture “ Lemminkäinen's mother"(1897). Although the painting is an illustration of the epic, it has a more global, universal sound and can be considered a kind of northern Pieta. This poignant song of maternal love is one of Gallen-Kallela's most stunning works on the theme " Kalevalas».
Lemminkäinen's mother- a cheerful guy, a clever hunter and seducer of women - finds his son near the black River of Death (Tuonela River), where he tried to shoot the sacred swan. A swan is depicted in dark water in the background, and skulls and bones are scattered on the rocky shore and flowers of death are sprouting. The Kalevala tells how a mother combs the water with a long rake, scoops out all the pieces and puts them back together for her son. Using spells and ointments, she revives Lemminkäinen. The painting depicts the moment that precedes the resurrection. It seems that everything is lost, but the sun's rays penetrate the kingdom of the dead, giving hope, and the bee carries a life-giving divine balm for the hero's resurrection. Dark, muted colors enhance the sense of stillness of this underground world, and the intense blood-red moss on the stones, the deathly pale whiteness of the plants and Lemminkäinen's skin contrast with the divine golden color of the bee and the rays pouring from the heavens.
His own mother posed for the artist for this painting. He managed to create a very realistic image with a lively, intense look (this is a genuine emotion: Gallen-Kallela deliberately spoke to his mother about something sad, causing her to cry). At the same time, the picture is distinguished by its stylization, which makes it possible to create a special mythical atmosphere, a feeling that events are taking place “on the other side” of reality. To enhance the emotional impact, Gallen-Kallela used tempera instead of oil paints. Simplified shapes, clear contours of figures and large color planes help create a powerful composition. To better convey the gloomy mood of the painting, the artist arranged a completely black room in his studio home in Ruovesi, in which the only source of light was the ceiling hatch. In addition, he photographed himself lying naked on the floor and used these photographs when he painted the figure of Lemminkäinen.
The Gallen-Kallela triptych is designed in a completely different, idyllic and almost frivolous style. The Legend of Aino"(1891). The composition is dedicated to the story from “Kalevala” about the young girl Aino and the old sage Väinämöinen. According to her parents' decision, Aino was supposed to be married to Väinämöinen, but she runs away from him, preferring to drown herself. The left side of the triptych shows the first meeting of an old man and a girl, dressed in a traditional Karelian outfit, in the forest, and on the right we see sad Aino. Preparing to throw herself into the water, she cries on the shore, listening to the calls of the sea maidens playing in the water. Finally, the central panel depicts the ending of the story: Väinämöinen goes out on a boat to the sea and fishes. Having caught a small fish, he does not recognize it as the girl who drowned through his fault and throws the fish back into the water. But at this moment the fish turns into Aino - a mermaid who laughs at the old man who missed her and then disappears into the waves forever.
In the early 1890s Gallen-Kallela was a supporter of naturalism, and he definitely needed authentic models for all the figures and objects in the picture. So, for the image of Väinämöinen with his long beautiful beard, a resident of one of the Karelian villages posed for the artist. In addition, the artist dried perches to achieve the most accurate image of the fish frightened by the old man. Even the silver bracelet that glitters on Aino’s hand actually existed: Gallen-Kallela gave this jewelry to his young wife Mary. She obviously served as a model for Aino. The landscapes for the triptych were sketched by the artist during his honeymoon in Karelia.
The composition is framed by a wooden frame with ornaments and quotes from the Kalevala, written by the hand of Gallen-Kallela himself. This triptych became the starting point of the movement national romanticism in Finland- Finnish version of Art Nouveau. The artist completed the first version of this painting in Paris in 1888-89. (now it belongs to the Bank of Finland). When the painting was first presented in Helsinki, it was greeted with great enthusiasm, and the Senate decided to commission a new version at public expense. This idea looks quite natural in the wake of the Fennoman movement, who idealized and romanticized the Finnish nation. In addition, art was perceived as a powerful means of expressing Finnish national ideals. At the same time, expeditions of artists to Karelia began in search of “real Finnish style.” Karelia was seen as the only untouched region where traces of the “Kalevala” were preserved, and Gallen-Kallela himself perceived this epic as a story about bygone times of national greatness, as an image of a lost paradise.
Painting by Gallen-Kallela " The Curse of Kullervo"(1899) tells about another hero of Kalevala. Kullervo was a young man of extraordinary strength, an orphan who was given into slavery and sent into the wilderness to graze cows. An evil mistress, the wife of the blacksmith Ilmarinen, gave him bread for the journey, in which a stone was hidden. Trying to cut the bread, Kullervo broke the knife, the only memory of his father. Enraged, he gathers a new herd of wolves, bears and lynxes, who tear apart the mistress. Kullervo escapes from slavery and returns home after learning that his relatives are alive. However, Kullervo's misadventures do not end there. An endless spiral of revenge destroys not only his newfound family, but himself. First, he meets and seduces a girl who turns out to be his sister, and because of this sinful relationship, the sister commits suicide. Soon all his relatives die. Then Kullervo kills himself by throwing himself on the sword.
The painting by Gallen-Kallela shows an episode when Kullervo is still serving as a shepherd (his flock is visible in the background, and bread with a baked stone is depicted in front). The young man shakes his fist and swears revenge on his enemies. The artist depicted an angry hero against the backdrop of a sunny early autumn landscape, but clouds are already gathering in the background, and the red-lit rowan serves as a warning, a prophecy of future bloodshed. In this picture, tragedy is combined with the beauty of Karelian nature, and the avenging hero can in some sense be seen as a symbol of the Finnish fighting spirit and growing national self-awareness. On the other hand, we have before us a portrait of anger and disappointment, the powerlessness of a man who was raised by strangers who destroyed his family, in an atmosphere of violence and revenge, and this left a tragic imprint on his fate.
More about creativity Gallen-Kallela read .
Let us conclude this section with a story about the work of another prominent representative of Finnish national romanticism in painting, the famous artist of the Finnish golden age - Pekka Halonen. Pekka Halonen (Pekka Halonen) (1865-1933) gained fame in the 1890s, showing himself to be an unsurpassed master winter landscapes. One of the masterpieces of this genre is the painting “ Young pine trees under the snow" (1899), considered an example Finnish Japaneseism and Art Nouveau in painting. Soft fluffy snow covering the seedlings, playing with different shades of white, creates a peaceful atmosphere of a forest fairy tale. The foggy air is saturated with cold winter haze, and lush layers of snow highlight the fragile beauty of young pines. Trees were generally one of the favorite motifs in creativity Pekki Halonen. Throughout his life, he enthusiastically depicted trees in different seasons, and especially loved spring, but still he became most famous as a master winter landscapes- few painters dared to create in the cold. Pekka Halonen, on the other hand, was not afraid of winter and worked outdoors in any weather throughout his life. A supporter of working en plein air, he was contemptuous of artists who “look at the world through a window.” In Halonen's paintings, branches crack from frost, trees bend under the weight of snow caps, the sun casts bluish shadows on the ground, and forest dwellers leave traces on a soft white carpet.
Winter landscapes became a kind of national symbol of Finland, and Pekka Halonen completed a dozen canvases on the theme of Finnish nature and folk life for the Finnish pavilion at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900. This cycle includes, for example, the painting “ At the ice hole"("Washing on Ice") (1900). Halonen's interest in depicting "northern exoticism" was awakened when he studied with Paul Gauguin in Paris in 1894.
As a rule, artists golden age of Finnish painting came from the urban middle class. Another thing is Pekka Halonen, who came from a family of enlightened peasants and artisans. He was born in Lapinlahti (Eastern Finland) and quite early became interested in art - not only painting, but also music (the artist’s mother was a gifted kantele player; she instilled in her son a caring attitude and love for nature, and later this love turned almost into a religion ). The young man began to study painting somewhat later than his peers, but after four years of study at the drawing school of the Art Society of Finland and excellent completion, Halonen was able to receive a scholarship that allowed him to go to study in the artistic Mecca of that time. He first studied at the Julian Academy, and then, in 1894, began taking private lessons from Paul Gauguin together with his friend Vaino Bloomsted. During this period, Halonen became acquainted with symbolism, synthetism and even theosophy. Acquaintance with the latest artistic trends, however, did not lead him to abandon the realistic style, and he did not borrow Gauguin’s bright palette, however, under the influence of Gauguin, Halonen became a deep connoisseur of Japanese art and began collecting copies of Japanese prints.
For example, his work often features the curved pine tree, a popular motif in Japanese art. In addition, in many of Halonen's paintings, special attention is paid to details, decorative patterns of branches or a special pattern of snow, and the theme of winter landscapes itself is not uncommon in Japanese art. Halonen is also characterized by a preference for vertical narrow canvases of the “kakemono” type, asymmetrical compositions, close-ups and unusual angles. Unlike many other landscape painters, he did not paint typical panoramic views from above; his landscapes are painted deep in the forest, close to nature, where the trees literally surround the viewer, inviting him into their silent world. It was Gauguin who inspired Halonen to discover his own style in depicting nature and encouraged him to look for his themes in national roots. Like Gauguin, Halonen sought to find with the help of his art something primary, primordial, but only if the Frenchman was looking for his ideal in the Pacific islands, then the Finnish artist sought to revive the “lost paradise” of the Finnish people in the virgin forests, the sacred wilds described in “Kalevala” .
The work of Pekka Halonen has always been distinguished by the search for peace and harmony. The artist believed that “art should not irritate the nerves like sandpaper - it should create a feeling of peace.” Even when depicting peasant labor, Halonen achieved calm, balanced compositions. So, in the work " Pioneers in Karelia» (« Laying a road in Karelia" (1900) he presented Finnish peasants as independent, intelligent workers who did not need to exert excessive effort to get the job done. In addition, the artist emphasized that he strove to create a general decorative impression. This was his response to his contemporaries, who criticized the unrealistic “serene Sunday mood” of the picture and were surprised at the too clean clothes of the workers, the small number of shavings on the ground and the strange appearance of a boat in the middle of the forest. But the artist had a completely different idea. Pekka Halonen did not want to create a picture of hard, exhausting work, but to convey the calm, measured rhythm of peasant labor.
Halonen was also greatly influenced by his trips to Italy (1896-97 and 1904), including the early Renaissance masterpieces he saw in Florence. Subsequently, Pekka Halonen with his wife and children (the couple had eight children in total) moved to Lake Tuusula, the quiet picturesque surroundings of which served as an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fruitful work away from Helsinki, “the source of everything prosaic and ugly.” Here, while skiing on the lake, the artist looked for a place for his future home, and in 1899 the couple bought a plot on the shore, where a few years later Pekka Halonen’s house-studio grew - a villa, which he named Halosenniemi (Halosenniemi) (1902). This cozy wooden dwelling in a national-romantic spirit was designed by the artist himself. Today the house houses the Pekka Halonen Museum.
Finnish Symbolists
One of the most interesting sections in the collection of the Ateneum Museum is the unique works of Hugo Simberg and other Finnish symbolists.
In a separate room of the Athenaeum Museum, the famous painting “ Wounded Angel"(1903) by Finnish artist Hugo Simberga. This melancholic painting depicts a strange procession: two sullen boys carry a blindfolded, white-clad angel girl with a wounded wing on a stretcher. The background of the picture is a bare landscape of early spring. In the angel's hand is a bouquet of snowdrops, the first flowers of spring, symbols of healing and new life. . The procession is led by a boy dressed in black, resembling an undertaker (probably a symbol of Death). The other boy's gaze is directed towards us, penetrating directly into the viewer's soul and reminding us that the themes of life and death are relevant to each of us. A fallen angel, expulsion from paradise, reflections on death - all these topics especially worried the artists. Symbolists. The artist himself refused to offer any ready-made interpretations of the painting, leaving the viewer to draw their own conclusions.
Hugo Simberg worked on this painting for a long time: the first sketches can be found in his albums since 1898. Some sketches and photographs reflect individual fragments of the composition. Sometimes the angel is carried in a wheelbarrow, sometimes not boys, but little devils are presented as porters, at the same time, the central figure of the angel always remains, and the background is a real landscape. The process of working on the painting was interrupted when Simberg became seriously ill: the artist was treated at the hospital of the Deaconess Institute in Helsinki from the autumn of 1902 to the spring of 1903 ( Helsingin Diakonissalaitos) in the Kallio area. He had a serious nervous illness, aggravated by syphilis (from which the artist later died).
It is known that Simberg photographed his models (children) in the workshop and in the Eleintarha park, located next to the above-mentioned hospital. The path depicted in the picture still exists today - it runs along the shore of Töölönlahti Bay. During Simberg's time, Eleintarha Park was a popular recreation area for the working class. In addition, there were many charitable institutions located there, including a girls' school for the blind and a shelter for the disabled. Simberg repeatedly observed the inhabitants of the park when he walked there in the spring of 1903, recovering from a serious illness. Apparently, during these long walks, the idea for the painting took final shape. In addition to philosophical interpretations of the painting “The Wounded Angel” (a symbol of expulsion from paradise, a sick human soul, human helplessness, a broken dream), some see in it the personification of the artist’s painful condition and even specific physical symptoms (according to some reports, Simberg also suffered from meningitis).
Simberg's painting " Wounded Angel"was a great success immediately after its completion. The presentation took place at the autumn exhibition of the Art Society of Finland in 1903. Initially, the painting was exhibited without a title (more precisely, there was a dash instead of the title), which hinted at the impossibility of any single interpretation. For this deeply individual and emotional work, the artist was awarded a state prize in 1904. The second version of “The Wounded Angel” was performed by Simberg when decorating the interior of the Tampere Cathedral with frescoes, where he worked together with Magnus Enckel.
According to a survey conducted in Finland in 2006, “ Wounded Angel"was recognized as the most popular work in the Athenaeum collection, the most beloved "national painting" of Finland, the artistic symbol of the country.
Hugo Simberg (Hugo Simberg) (1873-1917) was born in the city of Hamina, then lived and studied in, and then in, where he attended the school of the Art Society of Finland. He often spent summers at the family estate in Niemenlautta (Säkkijärvi) on the shores of the Gulf of Finland. Simberg traveled a lot throughout Europe, visited London and Paris, visited Italy and the Caucasus. An important stage in his development as an artist occurred during the period when Simberg, disillusioned with the stereotypical academic education, began taking private lessons from Akseli Gallen-Kallela in a remote area in Ruovesi, where Gallen-Kallela built his house-studio. Gallen-Kallela highly valued his student's talent and predicted a great future for him in the world of art, comparing Simberg's work to truthful and passionate sermons that everyone should hear. Simberg visited Ruovesi three times between 1895 and 1897. Here, in an atmosphere of artistic freedom, he quickly found his own language. For example, in the first autumn of his stay in Ruovesi he wrote the famous work “ Freezing"(1895), somewhat reminiscent of Munch's The Scream. In this case, the weather phenomenon, the fear of farmers around the world, has received a visible embodiment, face and form: it is a deathly pale figure with large ears, sitting on top of a sheaf and poisoning everything around with its deadly breath. Unlike Munch's The Scream, completed several years earlier, Simberg's Frost evokes not complete horror and despair, but a strange feeling of threat and pity at the same time.
An important moment in Simberg's life was the autumn exhibition of 1898, after which he was accepted into the Finnish Artists' Union. Simberg traveled extensively throughout Europe, taught, and participated in exhibitions. However, the true scale of the artist’s talent was only appreciated after his death. The focus on the eerie and supernatural was not understood by all critics and viewers of the time.
Hugo Simberg was one of the largest Finnish Symbolists. He was not attracted to banal everyday situations - on the contrary, he depicted something that opened the door to another reality and touched the mind and soul of the viewer. He understood art “as an opportunity to transport a person in the middle of winter to a beautiful summer morning and feel how nature wakes up and you yourself are in harmony with it. This is what I look for in a work of art. It must tell us something and speak loudly, so that we are carried away into another world.”
Simberg especially loved to depict what can only be seen in the imagination: angels, devils, trolls and the image of Death itself. However, he imparted softness and humanity to even these images. Simberg's death is often benevolent and full of sympathy, performing its duties without enthusiasm. So she came with three white flowers to pick up the old woman. However, Death is in no hurry; she can easily afford to listen to the boy play the violin. Only the clock on the wall marks the passage of time (“ Death is listening", 1897).
In work " Garden of Death"(1896), created during his first study trip to Paris, Simberg, as he himself said, depicted the place where the human soul ends up immediately after death, before going to heaven. Three skeletons in black robes reverently care for plant souls with as much love as monks care for a monastery garden. This work was of great importance for the artist. Almost ten years later, Simberg repeated it in the form of a large fresco in Tampere Cathedral. The strange charm of this work lies in the cute everyday details (a watering can, a towel hanging from a hook), the peaceful atmosphere and the gentle image of Death itself, which is not a force of destruction, but the embodiment of care. It is interesting that in Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Story of a Mother” we also find a similar image: the storyteller describes the huge greenhouse of Death - a greenhouse where a human soul is “attached” to each flower or tree. Death calls himself God's gardener: "I take his flowers and trees and transplant them into the great garden of Eden, into the unknown country."
First image of Death appeared in Simberg's work " Death and the Peasant"(1895). A short black cape and short pants give Death a gentle, dejected look. This work was carried out by Simberg in Ruovesi, while studying with Akseli Gallena-Kallela. That spring, the teacher's youngest daughter died of diphtheria, and "Death and the Peasant" can be seen as an expression of sympathy for a man who has lost a child.
Like devils, Hugo Simberg's angels are humanized and therefore vulnerable. They try to direct people on the path of good, but reality can be far from ideals. Job " Dream"(1900) raises questions in the viewer. Why is the woman crying while the angel is dancing with her husband? Perhaps the husband is leaving his wife for another world? Another title for this work was “Repentance,” so it can be interpreted in different ways.
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Images of angels first appeared in Simberg’s work in the fall of 1895 (work “ Piety"). In this mischievous work, the praying angel girl does not notice that the neighboring angel has something completely different on her mind. And indeed, the wings of this second angel are not nearly as white. There is a struggle between sensuality and spirituality.
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The embankment in the area of Niemenlautta, where Simberg almost always spent his summer time at the family estate, was a popular meeting place for young people on summer evenings. Attracted by the sounds of the accordion, boys and girls went here to dance on a boat even from afar. Simberg repeatedly made sketches of dancers. But at work " Dance on the embankment"(1899) the girls dance not with the guys, but with the figures of Death, so often encountered in Simberg. Maybe Death this time did not come for a terrible harvest, but just wants to take part in the general fun? But for some reason the accordion doesn’t play.
As you can see, Hugo Simberg- a highly original artist, whose work is not devoid of a peculiar irony, but at the same time permeated with mysticism and focused on the themes of good and evil, life and death, characteristic of art Symbolists. In Simberg's works, deep philosophical questions are intertwined with gentle humor and deep empathy. “Poor devil”, “gentle Death”, the king of the brownies - all these characters came into his work from dreams and fairy tales. No gilded frames or shiny canvases: “Only love makes works of art real. If labor pains occur without love, the child will be born unhappy.”
In addition to the works of Hugo Simberg, in the Athenaeum Museum you can see works Finnish symbolist artist Magnus Enkel (Magnus Enckell) (1870-1925), like Simberg, who worked on frescoes for Tampere Cathedral (1907). Enkel was born into a priest's family in the city of Hamina, studied painting in, and in 1891 went to Paris, where he continued his education at the Julian Academy. There he became interested in the symbolism and mystical ideas of the Rosicrucian J. Peladan. From the latter, Magnus Enkel adopted the androgynous ideal of beauty, which he began to use in his works. Enkel was fascinated by the idea of a lost paradise, the lost purity of man, and very young boys with their androgynous beauty represented for the artist the purest form of a human being. We should also not forget that Enckel was a homosexual and often painted naked boys and men of an openly erotic, sensual appearance. In 1894-95 the artist traveled around Italy and at the beginning of the 20th century, under the influence of classical Italian art, as well as post-impressionism, his palette became much more colorful and lighter. In 1909, he, along with colorists Werner Thome and Alfred Finch, founded the group Septem.
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The early work of Magnus Enckel, on the contrary, is marked by a muted range and color asceticism. At that time, the artist’s palette was limited to shades of gray, black and ocher. An example is the picture “ Awakening"(1894), written by Enkel during the artist’s second visit to. The canvas is distinguished by color minimalism, a simplified composition and an emphasized line of the drawing - all this is used to emphasize the significance of what is depicted. A young man who has reached puberty has woken up and is sitting naked on the bed, head down with a serious expression on his face, lost in his thoughts. The twisted position of his body is not just a habitual gesture of getting out of bed; this motif, often found among symbolist artists, is more complex. Puberty and sexual awakening/loss of innocence were themes that fascinated many of Enkel's contemporaries (cf., for example, Munch's disturbing painting Maturation (1894/95)). The black and white palette emphasizes the melancholy mood of a meeting with an oppressive world.
One more Finnish symbolist artist, although not the most famous, is Vainö Bloomstedt (Blomstedt) (Väinö Blomstedt) (1871-1947). Blomstedt was an artist and textile designer and was influenced in particular by Japanese art. He studied first in Finland, and then together with Pekka Halonen in. As we already know, during their visit to Paris, these Finnish artists met Gauguin, who had recently returned from Tahiti, and began to take lessons from him. The impulsive Bloomstedt instantly fell under the influence of Gauguin and his color-breathing canvases. The search for the lost paradise in Gauguin's work was very close to Blomstedt. Only if Gauguin was looking for this paradise in exotic countries, then Väinö Blomstedt, like many Finnish artists of that time, was aimed at searching for the origins of his homeland, the virgin land of “Kalevala”. The heroes of Blomstedt's paintings are often imaginary or mythological characters.
After meeting Gauguin, Blomstedt abandoned realistic painting in the mid-1890s and turned to symbolism and bright multicolor synthetic palette According to the ideology of symbolism, realistic art, based on visual observation, is too limited and does not allow us to capture the most important thing in a person, his emotional and spiritual essence, the mystery of life itself. Behind everyday reality there is another world, and the goal of the symbolists is to express this world through art. Instead of trying to create a three-dimensional illusion of reality, symbolist artists resorted to stylization, simplification, decorativeness, and sought to find something pure and poetic. Hence their interest in the early Italian Renaissance, the use of tempera and fresco techniques. One of the striking examples symbolism in the works of Finnish artists is a picture Väinö Blomstedt « Francesca"(1897), immersing the viewer in a world of sleep and oblivion, a static and magical atmosphere with the intoxicating smell of poppy.
The inspiration for this painting was Dante's Divine Comedy, in which the poet meets Francesca da Rimini in hell and she tells him the story of her tragic love for Paolo. The image of the girl, reminiscent of Madonna, the “Renaissance” landscape with dark cypress trees and the translucent color surface of the painting (the canvas clearly shines through the paints) suggests old frescoes in Italian churches. In addition, due to the special technique of execution, the painting partly resembles a worn tapestry. The painting was painted by Bloomstedt during a trip to Italy. It also shows the influence of Pre-Raphaelite art.
Women in art: Finnish artists
Athenaeum Museum is also notable for the fact that a significant part of his collection consists of works female artists, including world famous ones such as Finnish artist Helena Schjerfbeck. In 2012, the Athenaeum Museum hosted an extensive exhibition of Helena Schjerfbeck's works to mark the 150th anniversary of her birth. The Athenaeum Museum houses the world's largest and most complete collection of Helena Schjerfbeck's works (212 paintings, drawings, sketchbooks).
Helena Schjerfbeck (Helena Schjerfbeck) (1862-1946) was born in Helsinki, began to study painting early and already achieved noticeable skill in her youth. Helena's life was marked by a severe hip injury resulting from a fall down the stairs in childhood. Because of this, the girl was educated at home - she did not go to a regular school, but she had a lot of time to draw, and she was accepted into an art school at an unusually early age. (Unfortunately, the hip injury left a limp for the rest of his life). After studying in Finland, including at the private academy of Adolf von Becker, Schjerfbeck received a scholarship and went to, where she studied at the Colarossi Academy. In 1881 and 1883-84. she also worked in the artists' colonies in Brittany (the painting " Boy feeding his little sister(1881), written in this region of France, is now even considered the beginning of Finnish modernism). In Brittany, she met an unknown English artist and married him, but in 1885 the groom broke off the engagement (his family believed that Helena’s hip problems were related to tuberculosis, from which her father died). Helena Schjerfbeck never married.
In the 1890s, Schjerfbeck taught at the Art Society School, from which she herself had once graduated. In 1902, due to health problems, she left teaching and moved with her mother to the remote province of Hyvinkää. Needing silence, the artist led a reclusive life, but continued to participate in exhibitions. Schjerfbeck’s “discovery” to the public took place in 1917: the artist’s first solo exhibition was held at the Ëst Stenman art salon in Helsinki, which was a great success with viewers and critics and disrupted her solitary existence. The next extensive exhibition took place in Stockholm in 1937 to rave reviews, and was followed by a series of similar exhibitions throughout Sweden. In 1935, when her mother died, Helena went to live in Tammisaari, and spent her last years in Sweden, in a sanatorium in Saltsjöbaden. In Finland, the attitude towards Schjerfbeck’s work was controversial for a long time (her talent was recognized only in the second half of the 20th century), while in Sweden her art was accepted quite early with great enthusiasm. But truly widespread international recognition came to Schjerfbeck in 2007, when large-scale retrospective exhibitions of her work were held in Paris, Hamburg and The Hague.
Among all the paintings of Helena Schjerfbeck in the world, the most famous are her numerous self-critical self-portraits, which allow us to trace both the evolution of her style and the changes in the artist herself, who mercilessly recorded her aging face. In total, Schjerfbeck painted about 40 self-portraits, the first at the age of 16, the last at 83. Six of them are in the Athenaeum collection.
But probably the most famous painting Helena Schjerfbeck is the canvas " Convalescent"(1888), often called the pearl Athenaeum Museum. Highly appreciated by the public, this painting by the 26-year-old artist was awarded a bronze medal at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1889 (where this canvas was exhibited under the title “First Greens” ( Premier verdure) - this is what Schjerfbeck herself originally called the picture). The theme of sick children was common in the art of the 19th century, but Schjerfbeck depicts not just a sick child, but a recovering child. She painted this picture in the picturesque coastal town of St. Ives, in Cornwall, in the southwest of England, where the artist went on the advice of her Austrian friend in 1887-1888, and then in 1889-1890.
This work is often called the last example of naturalistic light painting in Schjerfbeck's work (she later moved on to stylized modernism and almost abstract expressionism with an ascetic palette). Here the artist masterfully works with light, drawing the viewer’s gaze to the face of a recovering girl with tousled hair and feverishly rosy cheeks, who is holding in her hands a mug with a fragile blooming twig - a symbol of spring and new life. A smile plays on the child’s lips, expressing hope for recovery. This exciting picture touches the viewer and evokes a feeling of empathy. The painting, in a sense, can be called a self-portrait of the artist, who at that time was just trying to recover from a broken engagement. It is also possible that in this painting Schjerfbeck depicted herself as a child, telling us about how she felt, often being bedridden and enjoying the first signs of spring.
Please note that Helena Schjerfbeck's most famous works are currently "on tour" in Sweden. One exhibition is taking place in Stockholm and will last until the end of February 2013, the other in Gothenburg (until August 2013).
One more Finnish artist, whose work can be seen in the Athenaeum Museum, is Beda Schernshantz (Sternshantz)(Beda Stjernschantz) (1867–1910). By the way, a large-scale exhibition of this artist’s works is planned for 2014 at the museum. Bede Schernshants was an important representative of the generation Finnish symbolist artists at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. She was born into an aristocratic family in the city of Porvoo. In 1886, her father died, and the family faced financial difficulties. Unlike other female artists, Schernschanz had to work to earn a living. In 1891, at the same time as another famous Finnish artist, Ellen Thesleff, she came to Paris and the girls enrolled together at the Académie Colarossi. Bede's mentor was Magnus Enkell, under whose influence she absorbed the ideas of symbolism. Representatives of this movement were convinced that art should not slavishly copy nature, but should be purified for the sake of beauty, the expression of subtle feelings and experiences. Due to lack of money, Schernschanz lived in Paris for only one year. Returning to Finland, she could not find a place for herself and in 1895 she went to the Estonian island of Vormsi, where there was a long-standing Swedish settlement that had preserved its language, customs, and clothing. There the artist painted the painting “ A voice is calling us everywhere"(1895). The title of the painting is a quote from the then famous “Song of Finland” ( Suomen laulu), the words to which were written by the poet Emil Kwanten. As you can see, not only Karelia was a place where Finnish artists went in search of pristine nature and people.
In this poetic canvas, the artist depicted a group of Swedish children who managed to preserve their national traditions and language in an alien environment. Because of this, some critics saw a patriotic meaning in the picture, especially since the kantele instrument, played by one of the girls, occupies an important place in the composition. Another girl sings, and these sounds fill the ascetic landscape with windmills. Due to the completely static, frozen poses and emptiness of the surrounding landscape, the viewer, as it were, also begins to listen to the music sounding in the canvas. It seems that even the wind has died down, neither the foliage nor the windmills are moving, as if we were in an enchanted kingdom, a place that has fallen out of time. If we proceed from the symbolist interpretation of the picture, then the pious and concentrated children's faces against the background of this mystical landscape are a way to convey the state of innocence. In addition, as in many other works of the Symbolists, a special role is given here to music, the most ethereal and noblest of the arts.
In 1897-98. Bede Schernschanz, having received a grant from the Finnish government, went to travel around Italy, but her creative activity faded after this period. Although the artist's legacy is small, it has attracted the interest of researchers, and a number of conferences and publications are expected in the future that will make it possible to learn more about the significance of her work in the international context of the turn of the century.
Another interesting Finnish artist of the same period is Elin Danielson-Gambogi (Elin Danielson-Gambogi) (1861-1919). Elin Danielson-Gambogi belonged to the first generation of Finnish women artists who have received vocational education. She worked mainly in the genre of realistic portraiture, and both in life and in her work she differed from her colleagues in her emancipation and bohemian lifestyle. She criticized the position of women in society, wore trousers and smoked, led an anti-conformist life and associated with many artists, including the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland (they had an affair in 1895). Her paintings of women in everyday situations were considered vulgar and indecent by many critics.
« Self-portrait» Elin Danielson-Gambogi (1900) was painted during the period when the artist began to gain recognition in Europe. The artist is shown in her studio, brush and palette in hand, as light streams through the curtain in front of the window, creating a halo around her head. The large format of the canvas, the pose and gaze of the artist - all this expresses an independent and self-confident nature. For this painting, Danielson-Gambogi was awarded a silver medal in Florence in 1900.
Elin Danielson-Gamboji was born in a village near the city of Pori. In 1871, their family farm went bankrupt, and a year later her father committed suicide. Despite this, her mother managed to find funds so that at the age of 15 Elin moved to and began to study painting. The girl grew up in a free atmosphere, outside of strict social taboos. In 1883, Danielson-Gamboji went to, where she continued her education at the Colarossi Academy, and in the summer she studied painting in Brittany. Then the artist returned to Finland, where she communicated with other painters and taught at art schools, and in 1895 she received a scholarship and went to Florence. A year later she moved to the village of Antignano and married the Italian artist Raffaello Gambogi. The couple participated in numerous exhibitions throughout Europe; their work was shown at the 1900 Exposition Universelle in Paris and the 1899 Venice Biennale. But at the beginning of the 20th century, family troubles and financial difficulties, infidelity and her husband’s illness began. Elin Danielson-Gambogi died of pneumonia and is buried in Livorno.
Finally, among Finnish female artists can't help but call Ellen Thesleff (Ellen Thesleff) (1869-1954). Few Finnish authors have achieved such early recognition. Already in 1891, young Thesleff took part in the exhibition of the Art Society of Finland with her wonderful work “ Echo» ( Kaiku) (1891), receiving high praise from critics. At that time, she had just completed her studies at the private academy of Gunnar Berndtson ( GunnarBerndtson) and was getting ready for her first trip to, where the girl entered the Colarossi Academy with her friend Beda Schernschanz. In Paris she became acquainted with symbolism, but from the very beginning she chose her own, independent path in art. During this period, she began to create paintings in ascetic colors.
The most important source of inspiration for Ellena Thesleff was Italian art. Already in 1894 she went to the birthplace of the early Renaissance, Florence. Here the artist saw many beautiful works of religious painting, including works by Botticelli, whose work she admired back in the Louvre. Tesleff also copied monastery frescoes. The influence of spiritual Italian painting strengthened her craving for poetic, sublime art, and in subsequent years, color asceticism in her work received maximum expression. Typical motifs of her works were austere, dark-colored landscapes and human figures, ghostly and melancholic.
An example of works from this period is the modest in size " Self-portrait"(1894-95) by Ellen Thesleff, drawn in pencil. This self-portrait, created in Florence, was the result of two years of preparatory work. The spiritual face emerging from the darkness tells us a lot about the artist and her ideals at that time. In line with the philosophy of symbolism, she asked fundamental questions of existence and studied human feelings. In this self-portrait one can see the modern embodiment of the art of Leonardo da Vinci with his questions and mysteries of life. At the same time, the picture is very personal: it reflects Thesleff's grief over the death of her beloved father, which happened two years earlier.
Tesleff grew up in a musical family and since childhood was interested in singing and playing music with her sisters. One of the most common motifs in her work was echo or scream - the most primitive form of music. She also often depicted playing the violin, one of the most sublime and complex musical instruments. For example, the model for the painting “ Playing the violin"("Violinist") (1896) was performed by the artist's sister, Tira Elizaveta, who often posed for her in the 1890s.
The composition is designed in warm translucent, pearl-opal tones. The violinist turned away from the viewer, concentrating on the game. The theme of music, revered as the most spiritual, divine art, was one of the most common in symbolism, but artists rarely depicted female musicians.
Like her friend Magnus Enckel, in the early stages of her work Ellen Thesleff preferred color asceticism. But then her style changed. Under the influence of Kandinsky and his Munich circle, the artist became the first Fauvist in Finland, and in 1912 she was invited to take part in the exhibition of the Finnish association Septem, who advocated bright, clean colors.
However, her participation did not go beyond the exhibition: Tesleff did not join any groups, considering loneliness a normal state of a strong personality. Moving away from her previous gray-brown palette, in later life Thesleff began to create colorful and multi-layered color fantasies. She visited Tuscany with her sister and mother several times, where she painted sunny Italian landscapes.
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Tesleff never got married, but she became a creative person. The artist lived a long life and received recognition.
Foreign art at the Athenaeum
The collection of foreign art of the Athenaeum Museum presents over 650 paintings, sculptures and drawings created by such famous masters as Cezanne, Wag Gogh, Chagall, Modigliani, Munch, Repin, Rodin, Zorn.
From a foreign collection Athenaeum Museum let's highlight Van Gogh's painting "Street in Auvers-sur-Oise"(1890). Vincent van Gogh painted this painting shortly before his death, in the tiny town of Auvers-sur-Oise ( Auvers-sur-Oise), located in the valley of a tributary of the Seine, about 30 km northwest of. Van Gogh, who suffered from bouts of mental illness, went to Auvers-sur-Oise on the advice of his brother Theo for treatment with Dr. Paul Gachet. In Auvers-sur-Oise there was a clinic of this doctor - a man who was partial to art, familiar with many French artists and also became a friend of Van Gogh.
The town of Auvers-sur-Oise eventually became the place of death of the artist, who felt like a burden to his brother and his family. Van Gogh shot himself and then died from loss of blood. The artist lived in Auvers-sur-Oise for the last 70 days of his life, completing 74 paintings during this short period, one of which is now in the main art museum of Helsinki. Perhaps the painting was left unfinished (primer is visible in some places). The brightness of the sky sets off the calmer green tone of the earth and the reddish tint of the tiled roofs. It seems that the whole scene is in spiritual movement, permeated with restless energy.
A very interesting story is how the painting “Street in Auvers-sur-Oise” ended up in Athenaeum Museum. For some time after Van Gogh's death, it belonged to the artist's brother, Theo, and then to his widow, from whom Julien Leclerc bought the canvas ( Julien Leclercq) - French poet and art critic. It is known that in 1900, Leclerc acquired at least 11 works by Van Gogh from Theo's widow. A year later, he organized the first Van Gogh retrospective exhibition in, but soon died unexpectedly. Leclerc's wife was the pianist Fanny Flodin ( FannyFlodin), sister of the Finnish artist and sculptor Hilda Flodin ( Hilda Flodin). In 1903, Fanny sold Van Gogh's painting to representatives of the collector Fridtjof Antell, repeatedly mentioned above, for 2,500 marks (about 9,500 euros in modern money). This canvas has become Wag Gogh's first painting of the Old Church
Finnish artist Berndt Lindholm (1841-1914).Berndt Adolf Lindholm Berndt Adolf Lindholm, (Loviisa 20 August 1841 – 15 May 1914 in Gothenburg, Sweden) was a Finnish artist, is also considered one of the first Finnish impressionists. Lindholmwas also the first Scandinavian artist to go to Paris to study. PHe received his first drawing lessons in Porvoo from the artist Johan Knutson, and then transferred to the Finnish Art Society drawing school in Turku. In 1856-1861 he is a student of Ekman.V1863-1865 Lindholm continued his studies abroad at the Düsseldorf Academy of Arts.He left Germany and, together with ( Hjalmar Munsterhelm) Magnus Hjalmar Munsterhjelm (1840-1905)(Tulos October 19, 1840 - April 2, 1905) returned to his homeland in Karlsruhe (1865-1866), where he began taking private lessons fromHans Fredrik Gude (1825-1903)and then visited Paris twice in 1873-1874, where his teacher was Leon Bonnat. In Francecommunicated closely with the Barbizonian Charles-François Daubigny.He also appreciated the work of Théodore Rousseau, and admired the work of Jean-Baptiste Camille Corot.The first solo exhibition was held in Helsinki in the autumn of 1870, where Lindholm received high praise. In 1873, the Academy of Arts gave the title of academician for the painting “Forest in the Province of Savolas” and others.,in 1876 he was awarded a medal from the Philadelphia World's Fair; in 1877 he was awarded the Finnish State Prize. Lindholmlived mostly abroad. In 1876 he moved to Gothenburg and worked as a museum curator (1878-1900). He also taught at the Gothenburg School of Drawing and Painting, then was elected President of the Academy of Fine Arts and a member of the Royal Swedish Academy.He was more versatile than his artist friend and rival Magnus Hjalmar Munsterhelm, who remained faithful to the romantic landscape all his life.Initially, Lindholm also painted typical romantic landscapes, and then, under the influence of French plein air painting, he gradually became close to realism. Towards the end of his career he switched only to coastal and seascapes. It is also known that Lindholm participated in the illustration of the book by Zacharias Topelius - (Zacharias Topelius, 1818-1898) - one of the most remarkable representatives of Finnish literature. A poet, novelist, storyteller, historian and publicist, he earned love and recognition both in his homeland and far beyond its borders. Topelius wrote in Swedish, although he was also fluent in Finnish. Topelius's works have been translated into more than twenty languages. He had an unusually multifaceted talent and amazing capacity for work; the complete collection of his works contains thirty-four volumes. (Z. Topelius. Travels around Finland. Edition by F. Tilghman, 1875. Translated from Swede. F. Heuren. Contains many engravings from original paintings by A. von Becker, A. Edelfelt, R. V. Ekman, V. Holmberg, K.E. Janson, O. Kleine, I. Knutson, B. Lindholm, G. Munsterhelm and B. Reingold). Lindholm's 10 illustrations are dedicated to the Imatra Falls. In Finland, the artist's works from the period of his stay in France have not been fully appreciated; almost all of them are in private collections.
Rocky beach . Further... ">
Rocks illuminated by the sun.
Edge of a pine forest.
Forest landscape with the figure of a woodcutter.
River flowing through rocky terrain
Oat harvest.
Coastline
Winter landscape in the moonlight
View from the shore.
Boats on the pier
Stacks.
Landscape with birches
Seascape.
Seascape.
View of the rocks.
Yearning
Sunlight in forest.
View of Ladoga.
Fishermen in the morning fog
Ships on the horizon.
Montmarte, Paris.
From the island of Porvoo
Cows in the pasture
For many years it was believed that the portrait of Alexander III's nephews, painted by Albert Edelfelt, was lost or destroyed. Photo: Erkka Mikkonen / Yle
A Finnish art historian accidentally discovered a work by Albert Edelfelt that was considered lost in the collections of a Russian regional museum. The researcher would like to bring the painting to an exhibition in Finland.
A canvas by the famous Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt (1854-1905), considered lost for many years, was found in Russia in the Rybinsk Museum. Finnish art historian Sani Kontula-Webb found the painting, painted in 1881, using an Internet search engine.
“I saw the work by accident, but I identified it because I had previously carefully studied this topic.
A graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, Kontula-Webb saw sketches of this work in the Athenaeum art museum in Helsinki. With the help of sketches, it was possible to establish the identity of the children depicted in the portrait: these are the nephews of the Russian Tsar Alexander III. On one of the sketches, Edelfelt indicated their names.
Art critic Sani Kontula-Webb. Photo: David Webb
The long-haired boys in the painting are dressed in dresses according to the fashion of the late 19th century. The Rybinsk Museum believed that it depicted girls. Museum workers were pleased with the new information about the painting.
“We thought that these were girls, but it turned out that they depicted the sons of Grand Duke Vladimir, Boris and Kirill,” says deputy director Sergei Ovsyannikov.
The picture tells about Edelfelt's contacts with the royal family
The work entered the collection of the Rybinsk Museum after the revolution. According to the signature on the back of the painting, it was previously in the Vladimir Palace in St. Petersburg.
Red Square, Rybinsk. Photo: Erkka Mikkonen / Yle
The discovery is given additional significance by the fact that the painting indicates close contacts between the Finnish artist and the city on the Neva and the royal family.
“It was probably this portrait that was decisive in terms of the brilliant development of Edelfelt’s career at the royal court,” notes Kontula-Webb.
Subsequently, Edelfelt painted a portrait of the children of Alexander III, Michael and Xenia, as well as several portraits of the last Russian Tsar, Nicholas II.
The connections of Finnish artists with Russia have so far been little studied
At one time, Edelfelt was popular in Russia. His works are kept in the collections of both the St. Petersburg Hermitage and the Moscow Pushkin Museum.
Today, Edelfelt, as well as other artists of the Golden Period of Finnish painting, are practically unknown to the Russian audience. Also, in Finnish art historical studies, attention is not particularly focused on the connections of Finnish artists with Russia.
Kontula-Webb is currently preparing a dissertation on the connections between the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and Finnish artistic life.
“I hope that thanks to this discovery, Edelfelt will be found again in Russia, and in Finland they will remember the important connections of Finnish artists with Russia.
Deputy Director of the Rybinsk Museum Sergei Ovsyannikov. Photo: Erkka Mikkonen / Yle
Kontula-Webb asked the staff of the Rybinsk Museum about the possibility of bringing the painting, which was considered lost, to an exhibition in Finland. Deputy Director Sergei Ovsyannikov reacted positively to the idea.
– If Finland wants to receive a painting for an exhibition, then we will do everything in our power to ensure that the project is a success.
Still, according to Ovsyannikov, for a potential trip to Finland, the painting needs to be restored.
