By the River of Tuonela, study for the Jusélius Mausoleum frescos 1903

Akseli Gallen-Kallela made this oil study for the Jusélius Mausoleum frescos, showing his interpretation of the Finnish underworld and its river Tuonela. Gallen-Kallela was part of the Finnish intelligentsia, interested in creating a distinctive national culture by looking to the nation's history and mythology for artistic inspiration. He took his inspiration from the Kalevala, the Finnish national epic compiled in the 19th century, and in this painting, we can see his imagining of death and the underworld. The scene shows a naked ferryman rowing a boat across the black river, carrying souls to the afterlife. On the shore, a line of people awaits their turn. Gallen-Kallela’s progressive ideas and modern painting style gained him many commissions, among them this allegorical scene of life and death. As art historians, our understanding of this painting comes from studying Finnish history, religion, and folklore, as well as the history of the artist's commissions and the rise of Finnish nationalism in the late 19th century.