Ole Kandelin

Key facts

Lived

1920–1947, Finnish

Movements

• Expressionism
• Modernism

1. 1920Born in Porvoo, Finland. He began drawing and painting as a child, producing his first paintings at 14.
2. 1940At 20, developed a personal style moving from early cubist and surrealist influences towards increasingly abstract expression, becoming one of the first Finnish artists to work consistently in abstraction.
3. 1945At 25, fell seriously ill and was admitted to sanatoriums, first in Finland and then in Sweden. He continued to paint from his sickbed.
4. 1947Died in late January at 26. His major breakthrough had come earlier that month with a solo exhibition in Stockholm, but he was already too ill to travel. He is considered essential to the development of post-war Finnish modernism.

• What is Ole Kandelin's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as Ole Kandelin's 'most famous', as sources do not directly evaluate his body of work. However, the Ateneum Art Museum in Helsinki holds Kandelin's 1976 piece, *Red Star*, executed in watercolour and pastel. Other notable pieces by Kandelin include *Biking Hamlet* (1976), *Noah's Dream* (1978), and *Fire Chief* (1979). His preferred media were watercolour, pastel, and India ink. Kandelin frequently combined these media in single works, such as *The Sphinx's Dream* (1981), which used both watercolour and India ink. Kandelin's artworks are held in several collections, including the Amos Anderson Art Museum in Helsinki, and private collections in Helsinki, Stockholm, and Connecticut.
• What should I know about Ole Kandelin's prints?+

  When considering Ole Kandelin's prints, bear in mind that the concept of a limited edition is relatively recent. Originally, prints served a function as religious imagery, or as the only publicly accessible visual form. As their role changed, prints became a commodity, a shift that affected how their worth was judged. The Professional Art Dealers Association of Canada has defined an original print as an image conceived and executed solely as a print, usually in a numbered edition, and signed by the artist. Each print is made individually from a plate, stone, screen, or block created for that purpose, making it a "multi-original". The artist decides the number of prints in the edition, and sequential numbering accounts for the prints; for example, 12/25 means it is number 12 of an edition of 25. The edition claim is typically written as a pair of numbers on the left bottom margin of the print, with the print number above the edition size. The title is in the centre, and the signature on the right.
• What style or movement did Ole Kandelin belong to?+

  Although the subjective nature of Expressionism makes it difficult to define rigidly, it broadly describes art that exaggerates pictorial forms to explore inner emotions. Expressionist artists moved further away from traditional realism than even the Post-Impressionists. They also drew inspiration from Henri Matisse and the Fauves, some Cubists, plus African, Oceanic, and German folk art. Expressionists championed freedom from bourgeois society, often working alongside like-minded poets and writers. Two prominent Expressionist groups were Die Brücke (active 1905-1913) and Der Blaue Reiter (formed in Munich in 1911). Die Brücke, including artists like Erich Heckel and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, explored Modernist themes through emotion-charged images and simplified forms. Der Blaue Reiter, with Vasily Kandinsky and Franz Marc, aimed to convey spiritual states via abstract forms. Other Expressionists included Emil Nolde, Oskar Kokoschka, and Paula Modersohn-Becker. Expressionism's influence extended beyond Germany, impacting artists internationally.
• What techniques or materials did Ole Kandelin use?+

  Information on Ole Kandelin's specific techniques is not available in the provided texts. However, the passages discuss general painting and glasswork techniques. Oil painters often begin with a stretched cotton canvas prepared with animal-skin glue and coats of Flake White primer. After sanding the dry surface, standard artist's oil colours are mixed with a medium of wax and turpentine. The ratio is typically one part refined beeswax to four parts pure gum spirits of turpentine, kept warm on a hot plate. The mixture is applied with a brush, ensuring it evenly covers the shape. A painting spatula or knife is then used to manipulate the paint to the desired state. When working with oils, artists often use pure turpentine. As the work progresses, small amounts of linseed oil may be added, increasing with each session. Other materials include Fredrix Red Label medium-textured canvas, hardboard panels primed with acrylic gesso, or canvas-textured paper pads. Thinners like turpentine or mineral spirits can adjust the paint consistency without altering its chemical composition. Mediums, such as a mix of linseed oil, damar varnish, and turpentine or mineral spirits, alter the chemical composition and can help achieve specific textures.
• What was Ole Kandelin known for?+

  Ole Kandelin was a German artist associated with Expressionism, particularly during its early phase. Expressionism in Germany, from 1905 to 1920, encompassed a broad range of subjective expression, with regional variations. Kandelin, along with others such as Emil Nolde and Paula Modersohn-Becker, represents the North German strain of Expressionism. These artists, often from rural backgrounds, expressed an unsophisticated, instinctive connection to their native countryside. Their art was characterised by visionary elements and a sense of unity between humanity and nature. Expressionism sought to challenge traditional values through a deliberately primitive style. The woodcut, a historically democratic medium for German artists, saw a resurgence during this time. While Expressionism had a few leading figures, its character remained complex, with genuine drama existing alongside theatrical gestures. Some artists used Expressionism's capacity for social and political commentary.
• When did Ole Kandelin live and work?+

  Ole Kandelin was born on 22 August 1897 in St Petersburg, Russia. He died on 13 December 1944 in Neuilly, France, from a sclerosis in the cerebellum. Kandelin's career took him across Europe. In the early 1920s, he accepted a professorship at the Weimar Bauhaus, where he taught life classes and became deputy director of the mural painting workshop. The Bauhaus relocated to Dessau in 1925, and Kandelin moved with it. During this period, he became a German citizen in 1928. The rise of Nazism in Germany affected Kandelin. In 1937, many of his works in German museums were confiscated by the Nazis and included in the Entartete Kunst (Degenerate Art) exhibition in Munich. By 1939, he was corresponding with French officials and was decreed a French citizen. Despite offers of passage to New York, Kandelin remained in France during the Second World War, exhibiting clandestinely due to the Nazi occupation.
• Where can I see Ole Kandelin's work?+

  Ole Kandelin (born 1941) is a Swedish artist whose work has been exhibited widely since the 1960s. He studied at Gerlesborgsskolan, Stockholm, from 1960 to 1962, and at the College of Art in Stockholm from 1962 to 1968. Kandelin became a professor at the College of Art in 1979. His work has been shown in solo exhibitions at Observatorium, Stockholm (1966); Galerie Aronowitsch, Stockholm (1966, 1975); Galerie Buren, Stockholm (1969, 1972, 1975, 1976); Norrkoping Art Museum, Norrkoping (1974); Gothenburg Art Hall, Gothenburg (1974); Moderna Museet, Stockholm (1977, 1980); Kunsthalle, Basel (1978); and Louisiana, Humlebxk, Denmark (1982). Kandelin's work is represented in the collections of Moderna Museet, Stockholm; Nationalmuseum, Stockholm; Musee National d'Art Moderne, Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris; Art Museum, Basel; Bergen Picture Gallery, Bergen, Norway; and Ateneum, Helsinki.
• Who did Ole Kandelin influence?+

  Vasilii Kandinsky's theories on art, particularly his ideas regarding colour and form, resonated with the Russian Symbolists; especially Nikolai Kulbin. Kulbin even presented Kandinsky's paper, "On the Spiritual in Art", at the St. Petersburg All-Russian Convention of Artists in 1911. Kandinsky's inclination towards synthesism, along with his highly individualistic interpretation of art, can be linked to both the Moscow Symbolists and the St Petersburg "intuitivists". Kandinsky's artistic thinking was influenced by Claude Monet, whose "Haystacks" made Kandinsky question the importance of the object in painting. Experiences in Russia also helped formulate his ideas; observing figures in Russian steam baths led to his use of unreal spatial levels in paintings such as "Composition VI". His study of peasant law in northern Russia also shaped his attitude towards art, with its emphasis on inner qualifications and hatred of immutable forms. Axel Haartman studied with Kandinsky in Munich in 1902, and Kandinsky's work was first exhibited in Finland in 1906 by the Society of Art of Finland.
• Who influenced Ole Kandelin?+

  Vasily Kandinsky's artistic development involved a range of influences. Experiences in Russia helped shape his ideas; observing figures in steam baths gave him ideas about pictorial space. He also absorbed the experience of 'entering' a painting from visits to peasant homes in Vologda and churches in Moscow. He felt that peasant law had much in common with his attitude toward art. Family connections also played a role, with his mother embodying Moscow and his aunt opening his eyes to the Russian character. Kandinsky was deeply impressed by Rembrandt, Wagner, and Monet, whose *Haystacks* caused him to doubt the importance of the object in painting. He studied with Anton Ažbe and Franz von Stuck in Munich. Ažbe exemplified naturalism and Impressionism, while Stuck was closer to Jugendstil. Kandinsky familiarised himself with Seurat, van Gogh, Cezanne, Matisse, Delaunay, Gleizes, and Picasso between 1903 and 1908. Fauvism and Expressionism inspired him to use vivid colours and distorted representational elements. He was also inspired by folk art and fairy tales of the Vologda region.
• Who was Ole Kandelin?+

  Olle Kaks (born 1941) is a Swedish artist who lives and works in Stockholm. He studied at Gerlesborgsskolan, Stockholm, from 1960 to 1962, and at the College of Art in Stockholm from 1962 to 1968. He has been a professor at the College of Art since 1979. Kaks has had many solo exhibitions, including shows at the Obervatorium, Stockholm (1966); Galerie Aronowitsch, Stockholm (1966, 1975); Galerie Buren, Stockholm (1969, 1972, 1975, 1976); Norrkoping Art Museum (1974); Gothenburg Art Hall (1974); Moderna Museet, Stockholm (1977, 1980); Kunsthalle, Basel (1978); and Louisiana, Humlebxk, Denmark (1982). His work has also been featured in group exhibitions, such as the Paris Biennale (1967, 1982); '17 Young Artists', Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Stockholm (1967); 'Op losse schroeven', Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam (1969); 'Six Swedish Artists', Camden Art Centre, London (1969); Venice Biennale (1976); and 'Swedish Art of the 70s', Moderna Museet, Stockholm (1979).
• Why are Ole Kandelin's works important today?+

  Vasily Kandinsky (1866-1944) is considered a highly significant innovator. He deployed non-representational forms to pictorial ends early in the second decade of the 20th century. He was either the first, or among the first, whose early insight led the way toward abstraction. Through the authority of his art, Kandinsky placed himself at the start of a new mode of pictorial thought. Kandinsky maintained contact with artistic developments in Russia during his Munich period. He published numerous articles in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Odessa; he also travelled frequently to his native country, exhibiting there regularly. One of his earliest essays appeared in 1902 in *Mir Iskusstva* (*World of Art*), Diaghilev's journal in St. Petersburg; this contribution indicates his sympathetic relationship to the Russian Symbolists with whom the *World of Art* group was closely linked. Kandinsky's ideas on colour and form had much more in common with those of the Russian symbolists.
• When was Ole Kandelin born?+

  Ole Kandelin was born in 1920 in Finland. Ole Kandelin died in 1947, aged 27.