The Wounded Angel
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| Artist | Hugo Simberg |
|---|---|
| Year | 1903 |
| Type | Oil |
| Dimensions | 127 cm × 154 cm (50 in × 61 in) |
| Location | Ateneum, Helsinki |
The Wounded Angel (Finnish: Haavoittunut enkeli) (1903) is a painting by Finnish symbolist painter Hugo Simberg. It is one of the most recognizable of Simberg's works, and was voted Finland's "national painting" in a vote held by the Ateneum art museum in 2006.[1]
Like other Simberg paintings, The Wounded Angel evokes a melancholy atmosphere: the angelic central figure with her bandaged eyes and bloodied wing, the sombre clothing of her two youthful bearers. The direct gaze of the right-hand figure touches the viewer.
The allegorical procession with the angel walks through quite a realistic landscape. The landscape in the painting is from Eläintarha, Helsinki, and the water body in the background is Töölönlahti bay in Helsinki.[2] The same road skirts the shores of Töölönlahti even today. In Hugo Simberg’s day, the park was a popular spot for leisure-time activities among the working classes. At the time, many charity institutions were located in Eläintarha park; in The Wounded Angel the healthy boys are carrying the injured girl towards the Blind Girls’ school and the Home for Cripples. She clutches a bunch of snowdrops, symbolic of healing and rebirth.
Simberg himself declined to offer any deconstruction, instead preferring the viewer to draw their own conclusions. However, it is known that Simberg had been suffering from meningitis, and that the painting was a source of strength during his recovery.[3] This can also be read metaphorically: meningitis is known to cause neck stiffness, lethargy and light sensitivity, each of which is exhibited by the central figure. If read as lungs rather than wings, such a diagnosis even explains the minor injury, as tuberculor meningitis causes abrasions to the upper lungs.
When Simberg was tasked to paint the frescoes at Tampere Cathedral in 1905-06, one was a larger version of The Wounded Angel, his favorite painting.[3]
Its ubiquity in Finnish culture has resulted in several derivative works, notably the music videos released in 2007 by Uniklubi -"Luotisade."[4] and Nightwish - "Amaranth."[5]
[edit] References
- ^ (Finnish) Haavoittunut enkeli voitti äänestyksen Ateneumin Maamme-taulusta - Helsingin Sanomat, 2 December 2006
- ^ (Finnish) Leppänen, Marko: Maalaukseen astuminen - Haavoittunut enkeli Eläintarhassa Esoteerinen maantiede ja periferiaterapia. Accessed 16 April 2010.
- ^ a b (Finnish) The Wounded Angel at the Ateneum website
- ^ YouTube - Uniklubi's "Luotisade" music video
- ^ YouTube - Nightwish's "Amaranth" music video
