Aaltonen, Wäinö Waldemar

Born Mar. 8, 1894, in Marttila; died May 30, 1966, in Helsinki. Finnish sculptor. Honorary member of the Academy of Arts of the USSR from 1958.

Aaltonen is the sculptor of such psychological portraits as J. Sibelius (marble, 1935, in the Sibelius house, now a museum, Pori); his statues include the granite cycle Maidens (1917–41) and the bronze The Runner P. Nurmi (1924–25, Helsinki). Aaltonen is a master of monumental and decorative sculpture, notably the bronze monument to A. Kivi (1932–34, Helsinki) and the granite monument to Finnish settlers (1938, Delaware, USA). Other monuments include Friendship (bronze, 1952, Turku and GÖteborg); Peace (granite, 1950–52, Lahti), which won the Gold Medal of Peace in 1953; and four bronze figures for a bridge in Tampere (1927–29). In addition, he was a painter and medallion maker. Aaltonen’s work is marked by humane aspirations, clarity of emotional and psychological intent, powerful and flexible forms, and a pronounced feeling for material.