Pekka Halonen

‘Nature forms the framework of my paintings, but the atmosphere is the content, the main element. Whether this atmosphere comes from outside or from within myself, I do not really know.’ Pekka Halonen (1865-1933), the so-called ‘snow painter,’ captured the pristine nature of Finland like no other. His work is a tribute to Finnish identity and is closely connected to the political and social developments of his time.

Pekka Halonen was born in Lapinlahti in central Finland. After his art education in Helsinki, Halonen left for Paris, where he worked for a short period in 1890 with the French painter Paul Gauguin. Back in Finland, Halonen turned his back on urban modernity and rapid industrialisation. He devoted himself to depicting untouched nature and simple rural life, characterised by the clear Scandinavian light.

Cover image: Pekka Halonen, Winter Landscape, Myllykylä, 1896, oil on canvas, 69 × 48 cm, Helsinki, Ateneum Art Museum | © Finnish National Gallery, Aleks Talve