Emil Wikström (13 April 1864 in
Turku
Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...
– 26 September 1942
in Helsinki) was a
Finnish sculptor. Among his best known works are the ''
Lyhdynkantajat'' ("Lantern Carriers") sculptures on the front of the
Helsinki Central railway station
Helsinki Central Station (, ) (List of IATA-indexed railway stations, HEC) is the main station for commuter rail and long-distance trains departing from Helsinki, Finland. About 200,000 people "pass through the station" every day, half of whom ar ...
and the monuments to
Elias Lönnrot
Elias Lönnrot (; 9 April 1802 – 19 March 1884) was a Finnish polymath, physician, philosopher, poet, musician, linguist, journalist, philologist and collector of traditional Finnish language, Finnish Oral literature, oral poetry. He is best k ...
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 Lönnr ...
.
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 in Vienna and also in
Académie Julian
The () was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian (1839–1907). The school was active from 1868 through 1968. It remained famous for the number and qual ...
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 the forest, as Wikström wrote in a letter to
Axel Gallén in 1898. Wikström was the first to carry out his plan and found ideal place for himself in
Sääksmäki
Sääksmäki is a List of former municipalities of Finland, 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 Ve ...
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 Päij� ...
.
Emil Wikström sculpted most of his work in , his home and studio in
Valkeakoski
Valkeakoski (; lit. "white rapids") is a town and municipalities of Finland, municipality in Finland. It is located south of Tampere, north of Hämeenlinna and north of Helsinki in the Pirkanmaa regions of Finland, region. The municipality has ...
.
Wikström was one of the most important Finnish sculptors of his time. Best remembered for his public monuments in Helsinki, the statues at the 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 (, ) 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 funeral services and is owned by the Evangelical Luthe ...
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 a famous Finnish political cartoonist, known as Kari. His cartoons appeared daily in ''Helsingin Sanomat'' from 1951 to 1991 and they became popula ...
was a famous cartoonist, and her daughter Saskia (
Maaria Eira
Maaria Eira (real name Saskia D’Onofrio, Suomalainen; 23 October 1924 – 19 June 1999) was a Finnish operatic soprano and film actress noted for her coloratura voice and stage presence.
Personal life
Saskia Suomalainen was born to an ar ...
) was an opera singer and director.
Works
See also
*
Golden Age of Finnish Art
*
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
Artists from Turku
Academy of Fine Arts Vienna alumni
20th-century Finnish sculptors
19th-century Finnish sculptors
Burials at Hietaniemi Cemetery
Sculptors from the Russian Empire
{{Finland-sculptor-stub