''The Wounded Angel'' ( fi, Haavoittunut enkeli; sv, Sårad ängel; 1903) is a painting by

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 ...

symbolist painter

Hugo Simberg Hugo Gerhard Simberg (24 June 1873 – 12 July 1917) was a Finnish symbolist painter and graphic artist. Life and career Simberg was born on 24 June 1873, at Hamina (in the original Swedish: ''Fredrikshamn''), Finland, the son of Colonel Nico ...

. It is one of the most recognizable of Simberg's works, and was voted Finland's "national painting" in a vote held by the

Ateneum Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station. It has t ...

art museum in 2006. In a similar 2013 vote held by Nordic Moneta, it was voted second most important.

The painting

Like other Simberg works, the atmosphere is melancholic: the

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

ic central figure with her bandaged forehead and bloodied wing, the sombre clothing of her two youthful bearers. The right-hand figure's gaze is fixated beyond and to the right of the viewer. The procession passes through a recognisable landscape, that of

Eläintarha Eläintarha ( sv, Djurgården) is a large park in central Helsinki, Finland. The name "eläintarha" means "zoo". The park's location acts as a divisor between the districts of Töölö to the west, and Hakaniemi and Kallio to the east. The sout ...

, Helsinki, with Töölönlahti Bay in the background. Leppänen, Marko
Maalaukseen astuminen – Haavoittunut enkeli Eläintarhassa
''Esoteerinen maantiede ja periferiaterapia.'' Accessed 16 April 2010. The same road still skirts Töölönlahti Bay. In Hugo Simberg's time, the park was a popular spot for leisure-time activities among the working classes. At the time, many charity institutions were located in Eläintarha park; in ''The Wounded Angel'', the healthy boys are carrying the injured girl towards the Blind Girls' School and the Home for Cripples. She clutches a bunch of

snowdrops ''Galanthus'' (from Ancient Greek , (, "milk") + (, "flower")), or snowdrop, is a small genus of approximately 20 species of bulbous perennial herbaceous plants in the family Amaryllidaceae. The plants have two linear leaves and a single ...

, symbolic of healing and rebirth. Simberg himself declined to offer any deconstruction, suggesting that the viewer draw their own conclusions. However, Simberg had been suffering from

meningitis Meningitis is acute or chronic inflammation of the protective membranes covering the brain and spinal cord, collectively called the meninges. The most common symptoms are fever, headache, and neck stiffness. Other symptoms include confusion or ...

, and the painting was a source of strength during his recovery.The Wounded Angel at the Ateneum website
/ref> A number of Finnish artists praised ''The Wounded Angel'' when it first displayed in 1903 at the

autumn exhibition. In a letter to his sister Blenda, Simberg wrote on 10 October 1903: "I wanted to share the good news with you – I was not rejected this year, even though the jury was terribly strict. It seems that I have achieved something of a grand succés among my colleagues and the members of the jury. Gallén is so excited that I can hardly take him seriously. His first words were the highest flattery of my work and, oddly, he seems quite beside himself with enthusiasm for the big painting. He says that it gives him the impression that I had stood alone in a little cabin, huddled in the midst of a great forest, and had painted in complete indifference to the outside world. He says that it radiates peace and harmony like no other work in the exhibition – Even Edelfelt said nice things to me." Olavinen 2000, page 96. Hugo Simberg 1873–1917. Text by Anja Olavinen. Helsinki: Ateneum (Ateneum Publications No. 13), When Simberg was asked to paint

fresco Fresco (plural ''frescos'' or ''frescoes'') is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaste ...

es for the

Tampere Cathedral Tampere Cathedral ( fi, Tampereen tuomiokirkko, sv, Tammerfors domkyrka; originally known as St. John's Church) is a Lutheran church in Tampere, Finland, and the seat of the Diocese of Tampere. The building was designed in the National Romantic s ...

in 1905–06, one was a larger version of ''The Wounded Angel'', his favorite painting.

Gallery

Impact on later works

The painting partially inspired the music video for the

Nightwish Nightwish is a Finnish symphonic metal band from Kitee. The band was formed in 1996 by lead songwriter and keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen, guitarist Emppu Vuorinen, and former lead singer Tarja Turunen. The band soon picked up drummer Jukka Neva ...

song "

Amaranth ''Amaranthus'' is a cosmopolitan genus of annual or short-lived perennial plants collectively known as amaranths. Some amaranth species are cultivated as leaf vegetables, pseudocereals, and ornamental plants. Catkin-like cymes of densely pack ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wounded Angel 1903 paintings Symbolist paintings Angels in art Paintings by Hugo Simberg Paintings in the collection of the Ateneum