Joseph Alanen

Known for his Kalevala-themed works, Joseph Alanen was born on 2 November 1885 in Tampere. Despite his short career, he became renowned as an illustrator of the Kalevala, creating around one hundred works inspired particularly by Akseli Gallen-Kallela. Alanen developed his own decorative, Jugend-inspired style for depicting the epic, and he is regarded as one of its foremost interpreters.

His promising career ended prematurely when he died of the Spanish flu at the age of only 34. Alanen’s works are included in the collections of the Finnish National Gallery and the Tampere Art Museum. In addition to his Kalevala-themed tempera paintings, his oeuvre includes portraits, depictions of peasant life, and graphic art.