Besides Edvard Munch, Akseli Gallen-Kallela is one of the most famous Finnish artists. He was born in 1865 in Pori with the civil name Axel Waldemar Gallén. He became famous with his detailed illustrations for the Finnish national epic Kalevala. The artist thus had a decisive influence on Finnish identity. The Kalevala is one of the most important literary works in the Finnish language.
Today, Gallen-Kallela is still considered one of the most important representatives of Finnish national romanticism and sculpture. The artist was also involved in architecture and design. It is not surprising that he designed his home and studio himself. Today, as a museum, the buildings offer an exciting insight into the artist's work. Gallen-Kallela comes from a middle-class family. At the age of eleven he attended a boarding school in Helsinki. At this time his interest in art developed. In his free time he took part in drawing courses to learn different techniques. At the age of 19 he left his home country to study painting at the Académie Julian in Paris. There he met artists and companions, among others the Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt and the Swedish writer August Strindberg. After his studies, the further path of life led him back to his home country. There he married and in the following years three children were born.
His style changed in the course of time. The early works of the artist were based on realism. After the time in France, his works increasingly contained elements of French Symbolism and Art Nouveau. Besides painting, he created frescoes, devoted himself to sculpture and illustrated other works of Finnish literature. At times Akseli Gallen-Kallela was a member of the artists' association "Die Brücke", which was joined by numerous expressionists and pioneers of modernism. He soon realised that he did not share the views of the group and left a little later. In 1895 his works were exhibited together with those of Munch in Berlin. One of the highlights of his career was representing Finland at the Venice Biennale. The experimental artist experimented in numerous styles. But all his works have one thing in common: a close thematic connection to his homeland Finland and the culture and tradition there. All the more surprising is his departure into the distance in 1909, when he spent almost two years with his family in British East Africa. At this time he produced almost 150 expressionistically influenced pictures. In his eventful life Akseli Gallen-Kallela met many well-known and influential people, including Maxim Gorki and Gustav Mahler. He portrayed influential artists of his time, including Edvard Munch and Jean Sibelius. He spent his last years together with his family in the American artists' colony of Taos. There, too, Finnish mythology was one of his preferred motifs. In 1926 he returned to his homeland, where he died of pneumonia in 1931. © Meisterdrucke
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Besides Edvard Munch, Akseli Gallen-Kallela is one of the most famous Finnish artists. He was born in 1865 in Pori with the civil name Axel Waldemar Gallén. He became famous with his detailed illustrations for the Finnish national epic Kalevala. The artist thus had a decisive influence on Finnish identity. The Kalevala is one of the most important literary works in the Finnish language.
Today, Gallen-Kallela is still considered one of the most important representatives of Finnish national romanticism and sculpture. The artist was also involved in architecture and design. It is not surprising that he designed his home and studio himself. Today, as a museum, the buildings offer an exciting insight into the artist's work. Gallen-Kallela comes from a middle-class family. At the age of eleven he attended a boarding school in Helsinki. At this time his interest in art developed. In his free time he took part in drawing courses to learn different techniques. At the age of 19 he left his home country to study painting at the Académie Julian in Paris. There he met artists and companions, among others the Finnish painter Albert Edelfelt and the Swedish writer August Strindberg. After his studies, the further path of life led him back to his home country. There he married and in the following years three children were born.
His style changed in the course of time. The early works of the artist were based on realism. After the time in France, his works increasingly contained elements of French Symbolism and Art Nouveau. Besides painting, he created frescoes, devoted himself to sculpture and illustrated other works of Finnish literature. At times Akseli Gallen-Kallela was a member of the artists' association "Die Brücke", which was joined by numerous expressionists and pioneers of modernism. He soon realised that he did not share the views of the group and left a little later. In 1895 his works were exhibited together with those of Munch in Berlin. One of the highlights of his career was representing Finland at the Venice Biennale. The experimental artist experimented in numerous styles. But all his works have one thing in common: a close thematic connection to his homeland Finland and the culture and tradition there. All the more surprising is his departure into the distance in 1909, when he spent almost two years with his family in British East Africa. At this time he produced almost 150 expressionistically influenced pictures. In his eventful life Akseli Gallen-Kallela met many well-known and influential people, including Maxim Gorki and Gustav Mahler. He portrayed influential artists of his time, including Edvard Munch and Jean Sibelius. He spent his last years together with his family in the American artists' colony of Taos. There, too, Finnish mythology was one of his preferred motifs. In 1926 he returned to his homeland, where he died of pneumonia in 1931. © Meisterdrucke
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