Gezicht op de rivier Ivalo te Kultala before 1885

Karl Granit captured this view of the Ivalo River at Kultala, likely through photography, embedding it within the pages of a book. Granit, a Finnish landscape painter, was deeply influenced by the late 19th-century aesthetic movements that romanticized the natural world. This image, with its grayscale tonality and focus on the serene river winding through a rugged terrain, invites us to consider the relationship between nature and identity. In a time of rising nationalism, artists often looked to the landscape to define and celebrate their cultural heritage. Granit’s choice to depict this scene, in this remote region, suggests a longing to connect with the untouched and "authentic" aspects of Finnish identity. But what does it mean to claim a landscape as a marker of identity, especially when the land itself is inhabited by diverse communities with their own histories and claims? The photograph offers a contemplative space, a quiet invitation to reflect on the complex layers of belonging and representation.