The wounded angel
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| The wounded angel |
|---|
| Hugo Simberg , 1903 |
| oil |
| 127 × 154 cm |
| Ateneum , Helsinki |
The wounded angel , Haavoittunut enkeli in Finnish , is an oil painting by the Finnish painter Hugo Simberg from 1903. It is in the Ateneum in Helsinki. It is one of Simberg's most famous paintings and was voted Finland's “ National Painting ” in 2006 by the Ateneum audience .
Image content
As with numerous other Simberg paintings, The Wounded Angel exudes a serious, almost gloomy mood. The central figure of the painting is a young angel sitting on a stretcher carried by two boys. The angel wears a bandage over his forehead, his head is lowered and traces of blood can be found on the wings, one wing is bent. The two young porters are dressed in gloomy colors, giving the impression of mourning clothing. The rear of the two carriers looks at the viewer with a serious expression. The seriousness of the facial expression is heightened by the youthfulness of the depicted figure. In the right hand the angel holds a bouquet of small flowers, a small sign of hope.
Hugo Simberg always refused to give any explanations about the meanings of his paintings. He thought it was more essential that the viewer should be free to draw his own conclusions from the symbolism of an image. It is known, however, that Hugo Simberg suffered from meningitis when he came up with the idea for the painting. He himself described it as a source of strength during the time he was recovering from the disease.
effect
When Hugo Simberg was commissioned to paint some of the frescoes in Tampere Cathedral , he decided to also depict a larger version of the Wounded Angel . There is another well-known painting by Hugo Simberg processed as a fresco with In the Garden of Death , which shows death as a helper and protector of the human soul.
Due to the popularity of the Wounded Angel , this painting is occasionally quoted in other, more recent works of art. The wounded angel appears in the music video for the song Amaranth by the Finnish group Nightwish from 2007.
The painting is also one of the 1000 masterpieces .
Web links
supporting documents
- ↑ Finnish website about the choice of the wounded angel as a national painting - Helsingin Sanomat , December 2, 2006
- ↑ The wounded angel on the website of the Ateneum (in Finnish) ( Memento of the original dated December 30, 2005 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ YouTube - "Amaranth" video by the Nightwish group
