Koichi Kageyama | Akseli Gallen-Kallela's "Lake Keitele"—The Radiance of Silent Myth "Azu Kubota"
Researcher Azu Kubota discusses the allure of Finnish national painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela's "Lake Keitele" and its connection to Klimt's works at the National Museum of Western Art.Summary
This article features an interview with Azu Kubota, a specific researcher at The National Museum of Western Art (NMWA), focusing on the masterpiece "Lake Keitele" (1906) by the Finnish national painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela, and exploring its significance in Finnish art history. Kubota, whose background includes dance and Western history, was deeply impacted by Picasso's "Guernica" before specializing in art history. She highlights that the NMWA acquired "Lake Keitele" in 2021, noting its bold composition dominated by the lake surface. She points out that the zigzag pattern of the ripples subtly alludes to the wake of a boat from the Finnish national epic, the *Kalevala*, symbolizing Finland's aspiration for independence. Furthermore, Kubota discusses the juxtaposition of this work with Gustav Klimt's "Island in the Attersee" displayed nearby, suggesting Gallen-Kallela may have been inspired by Klimt's landscape painting after visiting him in Vienna. Gallen-Kallela is presented as a leading figure in Finnish National Romanticism, who contributed to forming the nation's identity through depictions of mythology and nature.
(Source：artscape)