Akseli Gallen-Kallela

Hiljalle, Zuholta, 1934 (according to an inscription on the stretcher)
Sale: Bukowskis, Helsinki, 8 April 1990, lot 42
Sale: Hagelstam, Helsinki, 28 April 1996, lot 30
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

The canvas has not been relined. Overall this work is in good original condition, with beautifully-preserved impasto, and its appearance could be further enhanced with a light surface clean. Ultraviolet light reveals a few minor spots of old retouching, notably in the pale blue pigments of the water below the trees to the right, left of centre in the sky, a spot at the extreme upper edge, and a tiny spot in the right of the sky. There may be some strokes of retouching along the extreme left edge, however these do not fluoresce under ultra-violet light and may be the artist's original pigments. The purples are richer and somewhat less red than in the catalogue illustration. This work is presented in a French, circa 1900, reeded frame with stylised carved corner ornaments on loan from Arnold Wiggins and Sons, London and available for separate purchase. It will be sold in a wide, modern grey-painted frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1915-16, the present work is not only a celebration of the brief nordic summer but of Finnish identity itself. Depicting Lake Ruovesi, where Gallen had his 'wilderness studio', the view evokes the quintessence of the Finnish outback so close to Gallen's heart. As much a cloudscape as a landscape, the painting is an exploration of the contours and colours of the summery cumuli which serve as a sculptural, celestial canopy for the flat lakelands below.

Previously under Swedish rule, Finland became a Grand Duchy of Russia during the Napoleonic Wars in 1809. Ever more beholden to their new masters, for Gallen-Kallela, as for the vast majority of the Finnish people, patriotism and the quest to define their national identity remained a vital force within Finland. It was in the face of increasing tensions with their Imperialist neighbour at the end of the nineteenth century that Gallen-Kallela helped so incisively to give form to Finnish culture, painting the Finnish legends, building his 'wilderness studio' Kalela and transcribing the Finnish landscape into what Janne Gallen-Sirén has aptly described as a 'codex for national identity'.

Unlike other depictions of the Finnish wilderness, in which broken branches or ice and snow are used as symbols of Finland's oppression, the present work exudes an unconditional positivism. Painted two years before Finland gained its independence, just as Gallen-Kallela used the steel grey bars of light criss-crossing Lake Keitele to evoke the wake of the mythical Finnish hero Väinämöinen, so the linear wind patterns on the water in the present work anticipate Finland's imminent political and economic freedom from Russia, and the dragon-like form in the sky the country's simmering urge for power (fig. 1).

Gallen-Kallela painted the present work from the environs of Kalela, a place that held a special significance for him and to which he had only just returned after ten years of absence. He had constructed it in 1894-95 on a rocky promontory overlooking the lake. Inspired by the massive farm houses of Archangel Karelia that he had visited on his honeymoon, he incorporated into its design many of the ancient motifs that he had found on his travels through Karelia, in particular the epic sagas of the Kalevala. It was in Kalela that his wife gave birth to their children Kirsti (1896) and Jorma (1898). And it was there that he worked on some of his most important projects. He produced his first wood-cuts and his first large scale frescoes there, and it was there too that he completed his major oils inspired by the Kalevala: Defending the Sampo, Joukahainen's Revenge, Lemminkaïnen's Mother and Kullervo Cursing.