Liisa Rautiainen: Painting

Liisa Rautiainen, 1987–1988.

The University Of Lapland's Collection

Oil and coal on canvas, 241 x 171 cm.

Liisa Rautiainen (1919–2018) was conferred an honorary doctorate from the University of Lapland in 1992. In connection with the conferment ceremony, she donated one of her large-format works to the University of Lapland.

Rautiainen studied philosophy and psychology at the University of Helsinki and graduated as an art teacher from the School of Industrial Art in 1952. She worked as a teacher in the Kemi upper secondary school for girls for nearly 30 years.

Rautiainen’s expression moved from expressive realism towards abstract art, but the early 1980s marked a significant transition period for her. She retired from her position of art teacher and began to paint spontaneously. As a result, an experimental quality started to emerge in her paintings – something that would today be referred to as mark making. The trace of a line always led to the next trace, and the work took the artist through untrodden paths.

Spontaneous compositions and tracemaking made Rautiainen’s paintings resemble musical improvisation. She is known to have listened to experimental meditative music by Arvo Pärt while painting. Perhaps the painting the artist donated to the University of Lapland shows this influence.

Liisa Rautiainen is a renowned, award-winning painter. She received the award of the Arts Council of Lapland in 1971 and the Ars Arctica Award in 1986. In 1994, she received the Knight of the Order of the White Rose of Finland medal.