Sigrid af Forselles and ‘The Development of the Human Soul’

Marja Lahelma

doi:10.30664/ar.98058

Abstract

The five-part relief series The Development of the Human Soul (c.1887–1903) by the Finnish sculptor Sigrid af Forselles is a monumental work consisting of five large plaster reliefs. The artist’s esoteric interests have been noted in previous research, but their impact on her art has not been properly analysed. The first part of the relief series, which has for its subject a theme from Scandinavian mythology, belongs to the collections of the Finnish National Gallery, while the other parts, with seemingly Christian content, are situated in the Kallio Church in Helsinki. The separation of the parts and the apparent inconsistency in the thematic structure of the series has caused confusion among those who have attempted to interpret it as a whole, although occasionally a possible Ttheosophical inspiration has been suggested. This article presents the first attempt at a more profound, esoteric interpretation of the series, arguing that its main theme is a spiritual evolution that attaches itself to the idea of progress and liberation through art. The narrative evolves from materiality and physical strength towards spirituality and immateriality.

Highlights

Even though Sigrid af Forselles (1860– 1935) was among the first women sculptors in Finland, and the very first one to have had a full professional career in a field that at the time was generally considered unsuitable for women, she has not exactly become a household name in Finnish art history
She is mainly remembered as a student of Auguste Rodin in whose Paris studio she worked for a few years in the 1880s
At the Drawing School af Forselles befriended many other women artists of her generation, including Helena Westermarck, who later became an active supporter of her artistic career, and her first biographer

Summary

Sigrid af Forselles and The Development of the Human Soul

The five-part relief series The Development of the Human Soul (c.1887–1903) by the Finnish sculptor Sigrid af Forselles is a monumental work consisting of five large plaster reliefs. The first part of the relief series, which has for its subject a theme from Scandinavian mythology, belongs to the collections of the Finnish National Gallery, while the other parts, with seemingly Christian content, are situated in the Kallio Church in Helsinki. The separation of the parts and the apparent inconsistency in the thematic structure of the series has caused confusion among those who have attempted to interpret it as a whole, occasionally a possible Theosophical inspiration has been suggested. This article presents the first attempt at a more profound, esoteric interpretation of the series, arguing that its main theme is a spiritual evolution that attaches itself to the idea of progress and liberation through art. ‘It seems clear that she is a very pro found and spiritual person, whose thoughts often dwell in the invisible world, the realm of the spirit, because from there she finds most of her subjects.’ (Friberg 1912)

Introduction

The esoteric context

The development of the human soul