Emil Wikström (13 April 1864 in
Turku
Turku ( ; ; sv, Åbo, ) is a city and former capital on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River, in the region of Finland Proper (''Varsinais-Suomi'') and the former Turku and Pori Province (''Turun ja Porin lääni''; ...
– 26 September 1942
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
) was a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
sculptor. Among his best known works are the ''
Lyhdynkantajat'' ("Lantern Carriers") sculptures on the front of the
Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central Station ( fi, Helsingin päärautatieasema, sv, Helsingfors centralstation) ( HEC) is the main station for commuter rail and long-distance trains departing from Helsinki, Finland. The station is used by approximately 400,000 peo ...
and the monuments to
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot (; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish physician, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish oral poetry. He is best known for creating the Finnish national epic, ''Kalevala'',
(1835, enlarged 1849), from short b ...
and
Johan Vilhelm Snellman
Johan Vilhelm Snellman (; 12 May 1806 – 4 July 1881) was an influential Fennoman philosopher and Finnish statesman, ennobled in 1866. He was one of the most important 'awakeners' or promoters of Finnish nationalism, alongside Elias Lönnrot an ...
.
Career
His parents were construction foreman Johan Erik Wikström and Gustava Samuelintytär Linnamäki.
Emil Wikström studied art in Finnish Art Association's drawing school in Turku and Helsinki, in the
Academy of Fine Arts
The following is a list of notable art schools.
Accredited non-profit art and design colleges
* Adelaide Central School of Art
* Alberta College of Art and Design
* Art Academy of Cincinnati
* Art Center College of Design
* The Art Institute o ...
in Vienna and also in
Académie Julian
The Académie Julian () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907) that was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number a ...
in Paris.
Wikström as well as other artists took inspiration for their art from their own country's cultural mythology. Finnish artists studied and worked in Paris. Some decided to retreat to the peace of forest, as Wikström wrote in a letter to
Axel Gallén in 1898. Wikström was the first to carry out his plan and he found ideal place for himself in
Sääksmäki
Sääksmäki is a village and a former municipality, currently part of Valkeakoski in the Pirkanmaa region of Western Finland. A past president of Finland, Pehr Evind Svinhufvud, the Finnish film producer and director Veikko Aaltonen, eminent Fin ...
by
Vanajavesi
Vanajavesi is a large lake in southern Finland, in the provinces of Pirkanmaa and Kanta-Häme. It is part of the Kokemäenjoki basin. The lake gathers waters from a wide area in the regions of Pirkanmaa, Tavastia Proper and parts of the Päijä ...
.
Emil Wikström sculpted most of his work in , his home and studio in
Valkeakoski
Valkeakoski (; lit. "white rapids") is a town and municipality in Finland. It is located south of Tampere, north of Hämeenlinna and north of Helsinki in the Pirkanmaa region. The municipality has a population of
() and covers an area of of
wh ...
.
Emil Wikström was the one of the most important Finnish sculptors of his time. Best remembered for his public monuments in Helsinki, the statues in railway station, and other cities across Finland, Wikström produced portraits of many statesmen, politicians, businessmen, family and friends, as well as figures from Finnish mythology.
He is buried in the
Hietaniemi Cemetery
The Hietaniemi cemetery ( fi, Hietaniemen hautausmaa, sv, Sandudds begravningsplats) is located mainly in the Lapinlahti quarter and partly in the Etu-Töölö district of Helsinki, the capital of Finland. It is the location for Finnish state ...
in Helsinki.
Visavuori was opened to the public as a museum in 1967. There many of the original casts and studies are on display.
Personal life
In 1890 he got engaged to painter
Dora Wahlroos and they studied arts at Paris together. However they drifted apart and in 1895 Wikström married Alice Högström (1863–1950). They had three daughters: Estelle, Anna-Liisa and Mielikki Anne-Marie. Estelle's son
Kari Suomalainen
Kari Yrjänä Suomalainen (15 October 1920, in Helsinki – 10 August 1999, in Valkeakoski) was Finland's most famous political cartoonist, known as Kari. His cartoons appeared daily in ''Helsingin Sanomat'' from 1951 to 1991 and they became p ...
was a famous cartoonist,
and her daughter Saskia (
Maaria Eira) was an opera singer and director.
Works
See also
*
Golden Age of Finnish Art
The Golden Age of Finnish Art coincided with the national awakening of Finland, during the era of the Grand Duchy of Finland under the Russian Empire. It is believed to span an era from the late 19th Century to the early 20th Century, approximate ...
*
Finnish art
Finnish art started to form its individual characteristics in the 19th century, when romantic nationalism began to rise in the autonomous Grand Duchy of Finland.
Prehistoric art
Marks of human activity in Finland has found in Susiluola, Krist ...
Notes
References
External links
Visavuori official website
1864 births
1942 deaths
People from Turku
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni
20th-century Finnish sculptors
19th-century Finnish sculptors
Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery
{{Finland-sculptor-stub