Golden Age of Finnish Art

Period in the history of the visual arts in Finland, 1880–1910 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Golden Age of Finnish Art coincided with the national awakening of Finland, during the era of the Grand Duchy of Finland under the Russian Empire. It is believed to span an era from the late 19th Century to the early 20th Century, approximately 1880 to 1910.[1] The epic poetry form known as Kalevala, developed during the 19th Century, provided the artistic inspiration for numerous themes at the time, including in visual arts, literature, music and architecture;[2] however, the "Golden Age of Finnish Art" is generally regarded as referring to the realist and romantic nationalist painters of the time.[3] Notable figures of the time include Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Pekka Halonen, Albert Edelfelt, Jean Sibelius, Eino Leino, Helene Schjerfbeck, Emil Wikström, Eero Järnefelt and Eliel Saarinen.

Väinämöinen fights Louhi over the Sampo. Akseli Gallen-Kallela's The Defense of the Sampo, 1896.
The Finnish Pavilion at the Paris 1900 Expedition by Gesellius, Lindgren, Saarinen (fi)
Problem (Symposium) depicting Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Oskar Merikanto, Robert Kajanus and Jean Sibelius, painted by Gallen-Kallela himself, 1894

Finnish art became more widely known in Europe at the Paris Exposition of 1900, where the Finnish pavilion was one of the most popular among the attendees.[4]

Artists

There were a number of notable visual artists who are considered to have been part of the Golden Age of Finnish Art.

Painters

Ironesses, Helena Westermarck, 1883
Francesca (fi), Väinö Blomstedt [fi], 1897
The Attack (fi), Edvard Isto, 1899

The following list of painters does not include artists who are sometimes considered to be part of the Golden Age but generally largely predate it; several notable painters, such as Werner Holmberg, exist in this category.[5] Ferdinand von Wright, the notable Finnish artist whose 1886 The Fighting Capercaillies is considered a seminal Finnish painting, is also regarded as predating the Golden Age.[6][7][8] The numerous painters of the Düsseldorf school of painting, such as Berndt Lindholm, Hjalmar Munsterhjelm and Fanny Churberg, may be regarded as Golden Age painters; however, their work is generally associated with an earlier era of artistic development.[9][10][11]


Adolf von Becker, however, is regarded as a significant figure to the Golden Age, resulting from his education and tutelage of numerous artists of the era;[12] in addition, Robert Wilhelm Ekman, as an early and notable painter of Kalevala, laid the foundation for similar following works.[13]

More information Artist, Notable work ...
Notable Golden Age painters
ArtistNotable work

Amélie Lundahl
(1850–1914)
[14][15][16]

Breton Girl Holding a Jar, 1884 (fi)

Maria Wiik
(1853–1928)
[17][18][19]

Out into the World, 1889

Albert Edelfelt
(1854–1905)
[20][21][22]

Conveying a Child's Coffin [fi], 1879

Gunnar Berndtson
(1854–1895)
[23][24][25]

The Bride's Song, 1893 (fi)

Anna Sahlstén
(1859–1931)
[26][27][28]

Bread Worries, 1895

Victor Westerholm
(1860–1919)
[29][30][31]

Eckerö Post Quay, 1885 (fi)

Elin Danielson-Gambogi
(1861–1919)
[32][33][34]

Mother, 1893

Helene Schjerfbeck
(1862–1946)
[35][36][37]

The Convalescent [fi], 1888

Venny Soldan-Brofeldt
(1863–1945)
[38][39][40]

Antti, 1907

Eero Järnefelt
(1863–1937)
[41][42][43]

Under the Yoke (Burning the Brushwood) [fi], 1893

Akseli Gallen-Kallela
(1865–1931)
[44][45][35]

Lemminkäinen's Mother, 1897

Pekka Halonen
(1865–1933)
[46][45][47]

The Mower Men, 1891 (fi)

Ellen Thesleff
(1869–1954)
[48][49][50]

Self-Portrait (fi), 1895

Magnus Enckell
(1870–1925)
[51][52][53]

Resurrection, Tampere Cathedral, 1907

Dora Wahlroos
(1870–1947)
[54][55][56]

By the Wash Basin, 1892

Hugo Simberg
(1873–1917)
[45][57][35]

The Wounded Angel, 1903
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Sculptors

Statue of Alexander II (fi) by Walter Runeberg, 1894
Kullervo Speaks to His Sword by Swedish sculptor Carl Eneas Sjöstrand who lived in Finland for 40 years, 1932 bronze version (original plaster 1868)
Sculptures on the Pohjola Insurance building by Hilda Flodin, 1901
More information Artist, Notable work ...
Notable Golden Age sculptors
ArtistNotable work

Ville Vallgren
(1855–1940)
[58][59][60]

Havis Amanda, 1908

Emil Wikström
(1864–1942)
[61][62][63]

Lantern Carriers [fi], 1914
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Architects

Finnish Pavilion at the Paris 1889 Exposition by Theodor Höijer
Signelinna (Castle of Signe), Signe Hornborg, 1892
Imatran Valtiohotelli [fi]) by Usko Nyström, 1903
Koivisto Church [fi] by Josef Stenbäck, 1904
Pallas Building [fi] by Valter Thomé, 1907
More information Artist, Notable work ...
Notable Golden Age architects
ArtistNotable work

Lars Sonck
(1870–1956)
[64][65][66]

Tampere Cathedral, 1907

Wivi Lönn
(1872–1966)
[67][68][69]

Tampere Central Fire Station, 1908

Eliel Saarinen
(1873–1950)
[70][71][72]

Helsinki Central railway station, 1909

Herman Gesellius
(1874–1916)
[70][73][74]

Wuorio House (Unioninkatu 30), 1909–1914

Armas Lindgren
(1874–1929)
[70][75][76]

Mannerheimintie 7, 1914
(also 5 together with Wivi Lönn)
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See also

References

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