Big Fish 1904

Editor: This painting is "Big Fish" by Akseli Gallen-Kallela, made in 1904 using oil paint. The scene depicts a group of figures hauling in an enormous fish, and I'm struck by the expressions on their faces – a mixture of excitement and exertion. What's your take on this scene? Curator: It's tempting to see this simply as a scene of fishermen's labour, but I think there's a powerful undercurrent of Finnish identity and historical narrative here. Consider the context: Finland in the early 20th century was navigating its own identity as a nation, often pulling from its cultural heritage to separate itself from imperial Russia. Editor: So, the "big fish" is a symbol? Curator: It certainly could be! What if the fish is representative of a bounty, of a potential source of revenue, or national pride, fiercely wrestled for by the collective. Think of this through the lens of cultural and economic self-determination, in an era where these Nordic nations were negotiating complex gendered and racial power structures. What does capturing this "Big Fish" really mean for this specific group of Finns at the turn of the century? Editor: That's a compelling reading. I was initially just thinking about the visual aspects. I did notice that many characters were gendered. Curator: Precisely. It challenges a simpler reading of historical accuracy and leads us to the narrative of the cultural aspirations embedded within these scenes of everyday labour. Are we idealizing or obscuring the complexity of gender roles by looking into those cultural narratives, or could we examine these as both and either simultaneously? Editor: I hadn’t considered that perspective before. Thanks, I’m definitely seeing the painting in a different light now! Curator: My pleasure. This points to the value of understanding art as intertwined with both history and contemporary socio-political thought.