Akseli Gallen‐Kallela and Germany

Abstract

Summary Foreign contacts and a trip to Berlin for staging an exhibition were of great importance for Gallén's artistic output, which had long been in a state of crisis. Although Berlin marks the end of his purely symbolist paintings, the themes of the period came forth particularly in Gallén's original prints, on which he concentrated in late 1895. In the spring of 1895 Gallén undertook a brief study trip to England, after which his varied experiments in applied arts flourished, their goalbeinga"totalworkofart” (Gesamtkunstwerk). In Gallén's paintings, the so‐called Kalela‐period, following his stay in Berlin, strove towards the decorativeness typical of the spirit of the times. In all its stages, the interest generated by Gallén in Germany followed from his exhibition in 1895. In this respect, it is correct to speak of Gallén's international breakthrough. His success in Germany for a period of over ten years was also noted throughout the German‐speaking countries, and made Gallén known also in Hungary, Prague and Italy. Gallén's reputation was first enhanced by works such as his emotionally laden Portrait of Edvard Munch which was painted in Berlin. In particular the Portrait of Maxim Gorky a clear descendant of the Munchstyle portrait, was of significance for the future members of the Brücke group. Gallén's prints with their original themes based on symbolism, rose to the fore in the following years. Akseli Gallen‐Kallela's relations and contacts with Germany are an example of a fruitful interaction in both directions, inasmuch as Berlin in 1895 can be described as German. (The city was to great dergee a scene for many Nordic talents.) The main direct influence received by Gallen from Germany consisted in learning the techniques of graphics, which he went on to develop in Finland. Through his oeuvre, it found its way back to Germany, where artists of the young generation were influenced by his works and style. Writing in die Gegenwart Franz Servares was correct in observing that Gallén was “a man finely attuned to the cultural elements of his day, able to skilfully utilize foreign influences and to give them a new form in an interesting way.” In doing so, Gallén—more or less unconsciously—laid the visual foundations of Finnish culture.