Lake Keitele: a Vision of Finland, the National Gallery

Discover Finland’s silvery lakes and towering forests at the National Gallery this winter with a special exhibition around Akseli Gallen-Kallela’s Lake Keitele (1905), a favourite from the gallery’s permanent collection.

Lake Keitele: a Vision of Finland mounts a detailed investigation into the canvas’s composition: all four versions of the hypnotic landscape will be united and displayed side by side. The exhibition provides a window into the artistic development of one of the leading figures of Finnish modernism, as Gallen-Kallela’s depiction moves from a meticulous realism in its first version to stylised abstraction in its later incarnations.

The exhibition promises to be an entrancing introduction to the painter’s work. Mesmerised by the landscape that surrounded him, he produced crystalline renderings of Finland’s icy lakes and piercing light – works which have nevertheless often been overlooked amid those of better-known avant-garde painters.

Lake Keitele: a Vision of Finland looks poised to be a vivid reminder of Gallen-Kallela’s skill.