SIMBERG, Hugo

Hugo Simberg translated the “marginal experiences” of the Symbolist way of seeing into his pictures. He transposed experiences of nature into often frightening figures which at times bear only a general resemblance to mankind. He proclaims the unity of creature and cosmos in his small-format works in impressive fashion.

Simberg produced chiely small-format watercolours and prints. His favourite themes were the Poor Devil and Death.

Simberg explored the mystery of art and life in his Fairy Tale paintings. Many of his works emphasize the theme of Death personified: for example Peasant with Death and Death Listens (both 1895; Ateneumin Taidemuseo, Helsinki). Another of his most personal fantasy images was the figure of the ‘poor Devil’, an expression of his alter ego. These demonic creatures can appear either mischievous or sorrowful. Death and the poor Devil represented for Simberg the two poles of grief and joy, of death and earthly sensuality, between which his fantasy world shifted. There are clear links between Simberg’s fantasy images and Finnish and international fairy stories, but, unlike Gallen-Kallela, he never took his subject matter from the Finnish epic myth, the Kalevala.

At the end of the 1890s, Simberg began studying the technique of fresco painting. He had already attempted to create the effect of fresco in his earlier tempera paintings. This interest was fuelled by the opportunity to produce murals for the recently constructed Tampere Cathedral. In order to learn more about fresco painting, he travelled to Italy in 1897, where he was particularly inspired by early Renaissance frescoes.

Between 1905 and 1906, Simberg frescoed Tampere Cathedral, designed in the National Romantic style by Lars Sonck and built between 1902 and 1907. The focus of the decoration is an ornamental frieze running around the front of the gallery. Young, naked, androgynous-looking boys were shown carrying a garland displaying thorns as well as roses, an interpretation of life’s many-faceted journey and how to relate to the questions of eternity and death. Other parts of the cathedral decoration also deal with the themes of sin and redemption. The serpent in Paradise with an apple in its mouth adorns the central dome of the vaulted ceiling, while a pattern of white wings provides the decorative feature of the vaults themselves. Simberg also produced most of the stained glass, which completes the decoration on such themes as the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Burning Bush and Pelican.

The paintings aroused considerable adverse criticism in their time. Of particular controversy was Simberg’s painting of a winged serpent on a red background in the highest point of the ceiling, which some contemporaries interpreted as a symbol of sin and corruption.

The focus of the decoration is an ornamental frieze running around the front of the gallery. Young, naked, androgynous-looking boys were shown carrying a garland displaying thorns as well as roses, an interpretation of life’s many-faceted journey and how to relate to the questions of eternity and death.

At the end of the 1890s, Simberg began studying the technique of fresco painting. He had already attempted to create the effect of fresco in his earlier tempera paintings. This interest was fuelled by the opportunity to produce murals for the recently constructed Tampere Cathedral. In order to learn more about fresco painting, he travelled to Italy in 1897, where he was particularly inspired by early Renaissance frescoes.

Between 1905 and 1906, Simberg frescoed Tampere Cathedral, designed in the National Romantic style by Lars Sonck and built between 1902 and 1907. The focus of the decoration is an ornamental frieze running around the front of the gallery. Young, naked, androgynous-looking boys were shown carrying a garland displaying thorns as well as roses, an interpretation of life’s many-faceted journey and how to relate to the questions of eternity and death. Other parts of the cathedral decoration also deal with the themes of sin and redemption. The serpent in Paradise with an apple in its mouth adorns the central dome of the vaulted ceiling, while a pattern of white wings provides the decorative feature of the vaults themselves. Simberg also produced most of the stained glass, which completes the decoration on such themes as the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, the Burning Bush and Pelican.

The paintings aroused considerable adverse criticism in their time. Of particular controversy was Simberg’s painting of a winged serpent on a red background in the highest point of the ceiling, which some contemporaries interpreted as a symbol of sin and corruption.

Encouraged by his teacher Gallen-Kallela, who recognized his talents as a watercolourist, Simberg transposed experiences of nature into often frightening figures which at times bear only a general resemblance to mankind. He proclaims the unity of creature and cosmos in his small-format works in impressive fashion. He refused to provide commentaries on his paintings but hoped that “people, when looking at them, would weep and wail in their innermost heart of hearts”.

The serpent in Paradise with an apple in its mouth adorns the central dome of the vaulted ceiling.

This painting aroused considerable adverse criticism in their time. Some contemporaries interpreted the winged serpent on a red background in the highest point of the ceiling as a symbol of sin and corruption.

Simberg produced chiely small-format watercolours and prints. His favourite themes were the Poor Devil and Death.

Simberg produced chiely small-format watercolours and prints. His favourite themes were the Poor Devil and Death.

In Paris, Simberg painted the first version of the Garden of Death series (1896; Ateneumin Taidemuseo, Helsinki), which he later reproduced as a fresco in St John’s church, Tampere (now Tampere Cathedral).

During a period of emotional crisis following a serious illness in 1903, Simberg cultivated the themes of death and eternal life, which characterized his later works. Immediately after his illness, he painted the large canvas Wounded Angel (1903; Ateneumin Taidemuseo, Helsinki), which depicts a blindfolded young angel being carried on a stretcher by two grim-faced boys through a bleak landscape. In a more realistic figure style than he had used in his earlier work, Simberg here meditated on the theme of the expulsion from Paradise. He later re-used the subject in his cathedral murals in Tampere.

During a period of emotional crisis following a serious illness in 1903, Simberg cultivated the themes of death and eternal life, which characterized his later works. Immediately after his illness, he painted the large canvas Wounded Angel (1903; Ateneumin Taidemuseo, Helsinki), which depicts a blindfolded young angel being carried on a stretcher by two grim-faced boys through a bleak landscape. In a more realistic figure style than he had used in his earlier work, Simberg here meditated on the theme of the expulsion from Paradise. He later re-used the subject in his cathedral murals in Tampere.