Hugo Simberg

• Hugo Simberg : Devotion, 1895, 19,4x22,4, paper (A II 968:6) (67.5 kB)

The world is full of things the eye cannot see. You can see them only with your heart and imagination. Spirits, elves, devils, sprites, fairies and countless inhabitants of the spirit-world lead a life much like we do. But theirs is an invisible realm where anything is possible: little demons cook porridge and play with children, Death goes skating and tends his garden – an angel might even ask a shy country boy to dance.

Angels come in all varieties. Not all of them are the well-behaved type you read about in fairy-tales. In this painting, we see a girl angel praying very devoutly – or is she just pretending? With hands clasped, wings groomed and curls neatly arranged, she shuts her eyes tight and prays for the children of the world. Her companion, a boy angel with tousled hair and ruffled wings, drums his fingers impatiently – as far as he is concerned, the children of the world can do without his help for a while. Even angels need a break now and then.

Hugo Simberg : Devotion