Three Views on the Landscape

Three views on the landscape is a delight for lovers of classical painting, showcasing works by Werner Holmberg (1830–1860), Hjalmar Munsterhjelm (1840–1905) and Victor Westerholm (1860–1919). The exhibition examines, from a contemporary perspective, how three successive artists took the first steps towards plein-air painting in Finland and laid the foundation for the depiction of the Finnish landscape. The exhibition presents the influence of the Düsseldorf School on our art and how it elevated nature as the most important teacher for artists. Immediate experiences and sense of place were recorded outdoors in sketchbooks, such as the morning mist, evening sun, a rising thunderstorm or romantic moonlight, and were then transferred into captivating oil paintings in the studio.

Düsseldorf’s role as a centre for art was at its most influential in the mid-19th century, when landscape painting also became more popular than the depiction of historical motifs. The art education given in the German city attracted foreign artists, especially from Finland, Sweden, Norway and America. Werner Holmberg was the first artist from Finland to go to Düsseldorf, and during the 19th century some twenty Finnish artists followed in his footsteps. Hjalmar Munsterhjelm, who had a brief acquaintance with Holmberg, was the first Finn to complete his studies at Düsseldorf Art Academy, while Victor Westerholm was the last Finn to attend, when Europe’s artistic centre had already clearly moved to Paris.

Although the 19th century view of our landscape is quite romantic and beautifying, it gives us an interesting picture of the time, its values ​​and our relationship to the surrounding world. The teachings, the choice of motifs and the interest in nature that came from Düsseldorf had a huge impact on how the idea of our national landscape was formed. Holmberg and Munsterhjelm highlighted Finnish nature as a serious motif, in contrast to their European colleagues’ perception that our landscape was monotonous and inartistic. Holmberg created his Finnish landscapes by combining sketches from different places in a collage-like manner in accordance with the poetic composition principles of the Düsseldorf School. In his extensive oeuvre, Munsterhjelm focused primarily on atmospheric depictions of the Tavastia countryside at different times of the day and year. Westerholm, on the other hand, moved the depiction of our landscape in a realistic and impressionistic direction, and he eventually also painted large works outdoors.

The exhibition is produced by Turku Art Museum and contains works from the museum’s own collection as well as from the following public art collections: The Finnish National Gallery / Ateneum Art Museum, the Gösta Serlachius Fine Arts Foundation, Villa Gyllenberg / Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation, the Bank of Finland, the Åbo Akademi University Foundation and the museum Ett Hem.