Ferdinand von Wright

Who was Ferdinand von Wright?

Ferdinand von Wright was a Finnish painter. He is known especially for his paintings of birds and landscapes, but he was also a portrait painter.

Von Wright's parents, Henrik Magnus von Wright and Maria Elisabet Tuderus, owned the Haminalahti manor in Kuopio. His brothers Magnus and Wilhelm were also painters.

In 1838, Ferdinand traveled to Sweden to assist his brother Wilhelm in his illustration work, and worked as his brother's substitute as an illustrator at the Royal Swedish Academy of Arts. During 1842 he studied for some time at the academy, and then returned to Finland in 1844. He lived a secluded but productive life in a cottage he built near his family's home. In 1885, he was granted an artist's pension by the government. Despite suffering paralysis beginning in 1884, Ferdinand continued to produce artistic works until his death. It was during this time that he produced his work The Fighting Capercaillies, one of Finland's most famous paintings.