"Winter Landscape," Pekka Halonen, 1922.
Finnish painter Halonen (1865-1933) was a master of winter landscapes, depicting the forests of his native land.
His father was a farmer who painted on the side, decorating people's homes and churches on commission. Young Pekka accompanied his father on these commissions and picked up on his father's passion for art.
He studied in Paris (where else), and was a student of Gauguin for a time. But his heart was always in Finland, and he returned there to chronicle its beauty.
Many of his works are depictions of everyday life in Finland, but he also worked to instill a national pride through his work. Finland was struggling for independence from the Russian Empire, finally breaking free in 1917, and experiencing a civil war that resulted in the declaration of a republic in 1919. Finland was seeking an identity, and he helped mold that by showing its beauty and drama.
He also designed his home near Lake Tuusula, which is now a museum of his life and art.
From the Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Espoo, Finland.
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