Kullervo's Curse

Gallen-Kallela created a series of stylized renderings of the Kalevala and Finnish folk poetry. Joukahainen’s Revenge (1897; Art Museum, Turku), Fratricide (1897) and Kullervo’s Curse (1897-99; both Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki) deal with themes of desperation and violence; despite their simplified surface style (emphasized by the use of tempera), all three contain profound psychological characterizations of their protagonists. The culmination of this series of easel paintings was Lemminkäinen’s Mother (1897; Ateneum Art Museum, Helsinki), a Pietà with Finnish components.

This painting depicts a scene from Kalevala, a Finnish epic poem.