Finland, its culture and history are visible on many levels across the country. However, for many, the heart of Finland and the cradle of art can be found in the centre of Helsinki, in an elegant granite building called the Ateneum.
The Ateneum, part of the National Museum of Finland, is a place where history is not just a static point in time or a single artefact. It is a living experience where the paintings of the National Romantic period still reflect the colourful faces of the society around them. In this post, we explore one of the Ateneum's legends - a masterpiece called "Kalevala Land".
The painting "Kalevala Land" (1905) by the artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela creates a vast landscape before our eyes, where we see the freshness of nature and the mythical power of the Finnish mind. The artist's interpretation of an ancient epic, the story of the Finnish people, is arresting. The landscape and the characters living in it draw directly from the heart of the nation, its values and its stories.
Gallen-Kallela's masterpiece is one of the many treasures hidden inside the Ateneum. It allows the viewer to reflect on his or her own part in the grand whole and to see how the stories and characters of the Kalevala can take on new forms and meanings through centuries of stories.
In summary, the Ateneum and its collections offer a journey to the very heart of Finnish art and culture. It is a place where we can identify ourselves with history, the present and perhaps even the future. With each visit we can discover something new, pick up little pieces of the story of Finland. "Kalevalanmaa" is one of these stories, living and breathing as Finnish culture takes shape and progresses along the path of its history. In art, as in history, nothing ever stays the same, but some elements, such as the longing for a national epic in the masterpiece created by Gallen-Kallela, remain.