Famous Finnish Artists

Artwork such as pre-historic rock painting have been found in the Scandinavian country of Finland.

The best known artwork found in modern-day Finland is the Elk’s Head of Hittinen between 8 and 9,000 years old.

In 1707 an art program was started by the Royal Academy of Turku and this marked the beginning of Academic art in Finland. In the 19th century Finnish art occurred during the Grand Duchy of Finland.

The country separated from the Russian Empire and this awakened a sense of national identity that transpired in paintings. This newly found national identity coincided with the Romantic era in other parts of Europe and it’s known today as the Golden Age of Finnish art.

Waino Aaltonen

Finnish artist Waino Aalronned was a prominent painter and sculptor and recognized as one of the leading sculptors in Finland. He was influenced by Cubist and Futuristic art. The artist is known for his nationalist sculptures, creating monumental figures and busts that depicted Finnish citizens. Among his famous artworks is Work and the Future which was selected for the new House of Parliament in Finland.

Albert Edelfelt

Finnish artist Albert Edelfelt was a Realism artist. He studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris, France. He befriended French artist Jules Bastien-Lepage. The artist learned to paint outdoors and created artwork of the Finnish landscape.

Robert Wilhelm Ekman

Finnish artist Robert Wilhelm Ekman was born in the year the Grand Duchy of Finland was established. He was among the first painters to embrace the Romantic nationalism which eventually became the dominant form of art in Finland in the 19th century. The artist studied at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm and became a royal court and history painter.

Pekka Halonen

Finnish artist Pekka Halonen was a Finnish Nationalist Romantic painter focusing on landscapes and people in traditional settings. The artist inherited his talent for art from his father who was an amateur painter. The artist went to the Art Society’s Drawing School in Helsinki and late with a scholarship studies at the Academie Julian in Paris, France.

Eero Jarnfelt

Finnish artist Eero Jarnfelt was among the most renowned Finnish painters of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Twice the artist won a medal during the World Fairs in Paris, France. At the University of Helsinki he taught art and served as the chairman of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts. He had a distinctive style to capture the Finnish landscape and his most famous paintings captured the scenery of Koli National Park in the southeastern par of the country.

Akseli Gallen-Kallela

Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela studied at the Art Society in Finland. He had a distinctive style depicting scenes from the Kalevala, the main 19th century Finnish national epic. In the early 20th century he traveled to Africa and completed a series of Expressionist paintings in Kenya.

Mauno Manninen

Finnish artist Mauno Manninen was multi-talented and known not only for his painting but also for poetry and theater direction. He founded Intimiteatteri, a significant theater in Helsinki.

Mathilda Rotkirch

Finnish artist Mathilda Rotkirch studied art together with Finnish artist Ekman at the Royal Swedish Academy in Stockholm. She might have become the most famous portrait painter in Finnish history but died from a lung infection at the age of 29.

Helene Schjerfbeck

Finnish artist Helene Schjerfbeck was among the main modernist painters in Finland, The artist was influenced by Impressionist artists who painted outdoors and monumental history paintings. Later on she focused on portraits and still life art. At one point, the artist turned to abstract art.

Hugo Simberg

Finnish artist Hugo Simberg was a Symbolist painter who studies at the Drawing School of the Finnish Art Society. He became a student of Finnish artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela and later traveled to other parts of Europe and also the US. Some of his famous paintings can be found at Tampere Cathedral. Some of the frescoes there are titled “The Wounded Angel” and “The Garden of Death”. These are typical Symbolist paintings.