Old Woman With a Cat

Akseli Gallen-Kallela composed this Old Woman With a Cat (Akka ja kissa) in 1885, creating a work that would become his first major artistic statement. The painting challenged the ideals of Finnish art at the time and helped pave the way for realism in the country's painting tradition. Gallen-Kallela was pleased enough with the result that he signed it twice.

The work was exhibited in Paris by the Society of French Artists during Gallen-Kallela's time studying at the Académie Julian. His second signature on the bottom right linked the painting to his Parisian period. The canvas measures 121 x 96.5 cm, a substantial size that signals the artist's ambition for this early work.

Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931) is counted among Finland's most famous artists. He was born in Pori, studied at the Drawing School of the Finnish Art Society in Helsinki, and later became primarily known for his paintings and illustrations of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala. In 1900, he created dome paintings with Kalevala motifs for the Finnish pavilion at the World Exhibition in Paris. Today, Old Woman With a Cat resides at the Turku Art Museum, representing the realistic portraiture of his early career.