Eternalized beauty

The city of Loimaa received a significant art donation in 2010 made by Eino (1924–2010) and Meeri (1921–1996) Haapanen. They had been collecting art determinedly since the mid 1960’s, with a special interest in landscapes and the so called Finnish Golden Age.

This years exhibition based on the Haapanen collection is called Eternalized Beauty and brings to us as well as landscapes, also portraits – both real and fictional ones. The oldest one is David von Krafft’s (1655–1724) portrait of the Queen of Sweden, Ulrika Eleonora the younger (1688–1741). Krafft was appointed court painter in 1697, after his uncle David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl (1628–1698). Krafft was knighted by the Queen herself in 1719.

Ilmari Aalto’s (1891–1934) portrait of The elder daughter of Tyko Sallinen from 1927, gets to represent a more modern and homely style. Side by side with the women there are flowers and still life. Among them Eero von Bohem’s (1949–2012) Still life with fruit and ewer, Venny Soldan-Brofeldt’s (1863–1945) Bouquet and Tove Jansson’s (1914–2001) Flowers on the windowsill.

Oscar-Pierre Mathieu’s (1845–1881) Young woman feeding birds in the garden is exhibited now for the first time.It brings to mind a very common theme with Cinderella feeding the birds, although our young lady is more modestly clothed.  

They say that the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Which one appeals to you the most?