Year 1901 Location Ateneum, Helsinki Created 1901 | Medium Tempera Artist Akseli Gallen-Kallela | |
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Dimensions 89 cm × 128 cm (35 in × 50 in) Similar Kullervo Cursing, Joukahainen's revenge, The Defense of the Sampo, Lemminkäinen's Mother, Aino Myth | ||
Kullervo Rides to War (Finnish: Kullervon sotaanlähtö) is a painting by Akseli Gallen-Kallela from the year 1901. He painted the subject in tempera painting (89 × 128 cm) and as a mural (355 × 687 cm) which is located in the music hall of Vanha ylioppilastalo of Helsinki University. The painting was donated to the Students' union by O. Donner.
The theme for the painting is from the Kalevala, national epic of Finland. Kullervo sits on a white horse ready to ride to war, to revenge his uncle Untamo. He is followed by a dog or a wolf.
Gallen-Kallela traveled to Siena, Italy, where he saw the frescoes by Simone Martini in the Palazzo Pubblico. Martini's Equestrian portrait gave Gallen-Kallela inspiration for the setting of Kullervo.
References
Kullervo Rides to War Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA