Akseli Gallen-Kallela - A View from Keitele or Ruovesi

Akseli Gallen-Kallela (Björneborg 1865–1931 Stockholm)

View of a hill slope across a stretch of water; A View from Keitele or Ruovesi

Signed and dated “AXEL GALLEN 1904”
Oil on canvas laid on board, stamped “A. GALLEN-KALLELAN ALKUPERÄINEN TEOS [Original work]” and numbered “B 648” on the reverse
unframed 37 x 25.5 cm (14.6 x 10.0 in)
framed 45 x 34 cm (17.7 x 13.4 in)

Literature:
Akseli Gallen-Kallela Catalogue Raisonné Project, AGB9F2, as “A View from Keitele or Ruovesi”.

The subject probably depicts the aftermath of deforestation, as young trees lie scattered across the red ground. The unusual colour of the soil suggests three plausible explanations:

1. the area may have been rich in iron oxide;

2. the ground may be covered with a plant bearing reddish flowers, often found in newly logged clearings (see fig.); or

3. the colour may carry a symbolic meaning.

Gallen-Kallela is known to have opposed modern, large-scale and destructive logging practices. Traditional Finnish forestry had for generations been carried out with great care. In his autobiography Boken om Gallen-Kallela (1947, pp. 96, 99), he writes:

“Och vilket barbariskt skådespel är inte skogsavverkningen! …”
(English translation retained as provided.)

Gallen-Kallela felt a profound spiritual connection to nature. He devotes a chapter to this in his autobiography, Om människan och moder jorden (pp. 125–33), where he reflects on humankind’s unity with the natural world and the emotional and moral impact of witnessing its exploitation. He writes, for example:

“The person who can still in these times in certain harmonious moments feel himself to be in very strong union with all nature has certainly received more from life than others. During such festive moments of communion with nature, he can feel how his soul simultaneously dives deep and flies high in the universe.

The person who lives alone in the wilderness for a long time with untouched nature and within the circle of its life reaches this glorious state. Among the first experiences of her thus renewed view of life is that she begins to love the earth in a different way than before. The earth begins in her imagination and thought life to play the role of a living, impressively large, overwhelming and eternally maternal being.”

Between 1901 and 1903, Gallen-Kallela, together with Pekka Halonen, painted a monumental cycle of frescoes on themes of life and death from the Kalevala for the Jusélius Mausoleum in Björneborg, commissioned by F. A. Jusélius in memory of his daughter, who died at the age of eleven. The project resonated deeply with Gallen-Kallela, who had himself lost his daughter Marjatta at a young age.

In 1901, Gallen-Kallela made his debut in Vienna at an exhibition of the Vienna Secession dedicated to Nordic artists. From this exhibition the Moderne Galerie—today the Belvedere—acquired his painting Spring (c. 1900). In 1904 he was invited back by the Secessionists to an exhibition dedicated to monumental art, where he presented, among other works, studies for the Jusélius Mausoleum. During this period he entered Gustav Klimt’s artistic circle. The collaboration with the Secessionists left a lasting mark on Gallen-Kallela’s style, and his own art also influenced the Secessionists, who admired his innovative, expressive language.

In 1905, Gallen-Kallela painted his world-famous Lake Keitele (National Gallery, London), based on studies made at Konginkangas by Lake Keitele during the summer of 1904. Gallen-Kallela was politically engaged, and his work reflects the Finnish nationalism of the late 19th century in resistance to the oppressive policies of the Russian Empire. His aesthetic approach often merged landscape and mythology, pointing to a shared cultural past that supported the cause of political autonomy.

In Lake Keitele, the quiet contemplation of nature is fused with reverence for ancient myth and a burning passion for contemporary political issues. The serene, untouched lake becomes a symbol of independence and freedom, expressing both national identity and spiritual communion with nature.