Hugo Simberg was a Finnish painter born in 1873 who studied under master symbolist painter Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Gallen-Kallela encouraged Simberg to develop his own unique style of painting goblins, death, devils, and nature. Simberg's 1903 painting "Wounded Angel" was later selected as an iconic painting representing Finland. The painting is thought to reflect Simberg's emotions while recovering from illness.

1. HUGO SIMBERG

2. HUGO SIMBERG 1873-1917

3. Hugo was born in Hamina 24.6.1873 and passed away in 12.7.1917 in Ähtäri. Was married to Anni Bremer and had two children. Hugo was studying in the art school of Ateneum, but didn’t get a change to study the subjects he wanted to. So he wrote to the master of symbolism, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, and Gallen-Kallela started to be his teacher. This was a very important time for Simberg. Gallen-Kallela encouraged him to do art in his own style. Simberg was known as a painter who liked to paint goblins, death, devils and the sights of nature. In 2006 the painting “Wounded angel” was selected as a painting of Finland.

5. Oilpainting Halla 1895 27 x 18 cm This is what Simberg wrote to his brother while painting Halla : “ Right now I am painting an oil painting. It is about Halla, that comes around the sunset. In this painting it is a human figure with white skin. He is sitting on a pile of rye and blowing his cold breath around the cut field. The horizon is the hills of Ruovesi, first softwood trees, dark green, then hardwood trees, bright orange and last blossoming hill. I have tried to get it to look very colorful . ”

6. Halla Halla is a finnish word and it means this: Halla is a situation when air temperature is getting close to zero, right above the ground, on a growing season. If the temperature gets down to -4 decrees, it’s a heavy halla. Then the flora and berries will suffer a lot of damage.

7. Haavoittunut enkeli “Wounded angel” Oil painting 1903 Simberg painted this painting , when he was healing from a very bad disease. The angel is told to be reflecting his emotions during the disease.

8. Pear dance 1903 Fishing at night 1898 Garden of Death 1896

9. Old man and a child 1913 Poor devil and his twins 1898 Housewife, poor devil and his twins 1899 Boats on the shore 1897

10. Sleeping elf king 1896 A dream ?