WORK OF THE WEEK: Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Grand Pic Noir, 1894, Musée d'Orsay,Paris

Axel Gallen (1865-1931) took the Finnish sounding name of Akseli Gallen-Kallela in 1907. He is one of Finland’s most famous artists-born in Pori, a town in southwest Finland which was part of the Russian Empire until 1917. He was a consummate painter of immersive and meditative landscapes who was deeply influenced by Finnish mythology and legends and their deep connection with nature. His compositions were based on photographs and he would travel deep into the Finnish heartland, studying the forests and large lakes. In the winter he would ski up to 60 km a day, while in the summer he would walk or cycle to find the perfect subjects. He was particularly drawn to the in between seasons: the melting snows of spring and the tarnished tones of autumn.

Gallen-Kallela gained an established international reputation within the European Avant-Garde: he was made a knight of the Legion d’Honneur in France in 1902. Between 1901 and 19104 he exhibited at the Vienna Secession, and exhibited regularly in Paris