Leena Luostarinen: Night Leopard

Leena Luostarinen, 1982.

The State Art Deposit Collection

Oil on canvas, 130 x 180 cm.

The art world began to take notice of painter Leena Luostarinen (1949–2013) around the late 1970s and early 1980s with the emergence of new expressionist painting. In 1974, Luostarinen was awarded the Finnish Art Society’s Ducat Prize. She created several variations of the night leopard theme, and in the 1980s, she established herself as a highly popular artist in Finland. In 1988, she received the Artist of the Year award of the Helsinki Festival.

Luostarinen’s work was a significant source of inspiration for later generations of artists. She worked as a lecturer and Professor of painting at the Academy of Visual Arts in the 1990s. She was awarded the Pro Finlandia Medal in 1995, and in 2007 she received the Commander First Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland medal.

Night Leopard is a large painting that draws the viewer’s attention to the brushwork and colour splashes. The painting uses bold colours and exudes symbolism. This painting echoes Luostarinen’s travels to Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The artist’s work is characterized by archetypal symbols such as the sphinx, feline animals, and intertwined snakes that she has shaped to form her distinctive visual idiom.