Valkoisia Ruusuja, Konginkangas (White Roses), 1906

Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931), born in Finland, is known as one of the leaders of the Art Nouveau movement. A larger-than-life personality, Gallen-Kallela had a powerful artistic vision expressed by strong lines and flattened, stylised images. His highly individual style brought to his famous paintings of the Finnish national epic, the Kalevala, a dynamic and unnatural intensity.