Robert Wilhelm Ekman

Robert Wilhelm Ekman (August 13, 1808 – February 19, 1873), a.k.a. R. W. Ekman, was a significant teacher and painter of the Finnish romantic portraits and early national romanticism.

Robert Wilhelm Ekman
Born	(1808-08-13)13 August 1808 Uusikaupunki, Sweden (now Finland)
Died	19 February 1873(1873-02-19) (aged 64) Turku, Grand Duchy of Finland, Russian Empire (now Finland)
Nationality	Finnish
Known for	Painting

Childhood and Arts Education

Robert Ekman was born in Uusikaupunki, Finland to an upper-class family. His father was Carl Christoffer Ekman, a medical doctor and a mayor, and his mother was Sara Elisabet (maiden name Gadolin). Both of his parents died when he was approximately 10 years old. They left behind five orphans who were placed in foster homes. Their schooling was incomplete and there was no chance of higher academic education.

Robert Ekman first studied art under the guidance of Finnish painter Gustaf Wilhelm Finnberg (1784–1833), but in 1824 together with his brother Fredric, Joachim begun studies at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts in Stockholm and later studied in the studio of Johan Gustaf Sandberg (1782–1854). Already as a student Ekman specialized in portraying the life of the common people, instead of Classicism of the academic arts. Ekman graduated in 1836, and was granted a generous traveling scholarship for excelling in his studies. This supported him working in the Netherlands, France and Italy between years 1837–1844. As the scholarship was not plausible otherwise, Ekman took Swedish citizenship.

Court Painter and a Teacher

Upon returning to Stockholm, Ekman was dubbed as an agré (member candidate) and was accepted as a member of the academy in 1844. The title included the one of royal court and history painter. In 1845 Ekman returned to Turku, where he began decorating the Turku Cathedral with wall paintings. The laborious fresco were finished in 1854. Additionally, he completed over 30 church altarpieces during his career including works at Helsinki (1846–1848), Sääksmäki (1847), Viitasaari (1849), Sauvon (1853), Oulu (1859), Tammela (1860), Vaasa (1861), Pori (1863), Paimio (1865), Tyrvää (1866) and Perelt (1871).

Triptych altarpiece at Tyrvää Church, 1866

Photograph of Ekman painting in the 1860s

Having lived in Finland for ten years, Ekman regained Finnish citizenship in 1855. Having moved to Turku, Ekman started working on art education with master painter Carl Gustaf Söderstrand (1800–1862). In 1846 the Turku School of Drawing was founded and led by Ekman until his death. He died at Turku during 1873.

Ingeborg Malmström was one of the student of him.

Medallion of Ekman on the facade of Ateneum by Ville Vallgren, 1887

Works

• 
  Great Fire of Turku
• 
  Portrait of Mathilda Rotkirch, 1848
• 
  Pentti Lyytinen Recites Poems in a Cottage in Savo
• 
  Ensign Stål and the Undergraduate, 1853
• 
  Mikael Agricola Hands Over the Finnish Translation of the New Testament to King Gustav Wasa, 1853
• 
  Portrait of Georg August Wallin, 1853
• 
  Bishop Henry Baptizing Finns, 1850–54
• 
  Scene from J. L. Runeberg´s "Moose Hunters", 1856
• 
  Ilmatar, 1860
• 
  Fleeing Paganism; Väinämöinen Gives Way to the Power of the Cross, 1860
• 
  Italian Man with a Child, 1860
• 
  Jesus Wakes Lazarus, 1860
• 
  Väinämöinen and Maiden of Pohjola, 1861
• 
  Lemminkäinen's Mother at Tuonela, 1862
• 
  Emperor Alexander II Declares the 1863 Diet Session Open, 1865
• 
  Bridal Sauna
• 
  Väinämöinen's Play, 1866, a 4-meter tall painting displayed at Old Student House, Helsinki
• 
  Lemminkäinen at the Fiery Lake, c. 1867, depicting a call for help from Ukko
• 
  Kreeta Haapasalo Playing the Kantele in a Peasant Cottage, 1868
• 
  Mary Magdalene by the Grave of Christ, 1869
• 
  Winter Fishing in front of Turku, 1872

See also

• Finnish art

Other sources

• Hintze, Bertel (1926) Robert Wilhelm Ekman 1808–1873: En konsthistorisk studie (Helsingfors: Schildt)

External links

• Media related to Paintings by Robert Wilhelm Ekman at Wikimedia Commons