University Drawing School
Humanist of the day

University Drawing School

The University Drawing school at the University of Helsinki is the oldest public educational institution in Finland to provide art teaching. The University Drawing School belongs to the Faculty of Arts and it has been part of the University since 1707. Many of the key figures in Finnish art have either studied or taught at the Drawing School. For this presentation we have chosen three of them to represent the School: Magnus von Wright, Eero Järnefelt and Albert Edelfelt.

University Drawing School

University Drawing School

1678: A special engraver is recruited to illustrate publications
1707: Instruction in drawing begins
1708: The first master draughtsman is employed
1824: The School moves with the University to Helsinki
1834: A separate drawing studio is situated in a university building on Fabianinkatu
1845: The School hosts Finland’s first art exhibition
1850s: The School is forced to relinquish its teaching room, space given
in the cloakroom of the University Main Building banquet hall
1880: The School Moves to the House of Nobility
1897: The School moves back to enlarged premises on Fabianinkatu
1935–37: The School moves to the Headquarters of the Finnish Literature Society during the enlargement of the University Main Building
1956: The School moves to the top floor of Porthania
1992: The School becomes part of the Faculty of Arts

Photo: Mika Federley
Written by Tomas Sjöblom
Translated by Matthew Billington

Erik Nikolai Järnefelt was born in Vyborg in November 1863 to a wealthy family and a world of opportunity. His parents were the senator and governor lieutenant August Alexander Järnefelt and Baroness Elisabeth Clodt von Jürgensburg. A circle of artists formed around the mother of the family, including figures like Minna Canth, Juhani Aho and Jean Sibelius. The young Järnefelt was surrounded by artistic geniuses of various fields from an early age.

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Albert Gustaf Aristides Edelfelt was born in July 1854 at the Kiiala estate in the rural municipality of Porvoo. His father, Carl Albert, who was descended from a noble Swedish military family, was the regional architect of Tavastia and later the director-general of the Edification Board. The mother of the family, Alexandra Augusta Brandt was a nationalist thinker and amateur poet closely associated with Johan Ludvig Runeberg.

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