VOYAGE PITTORESQUE – Jarkko Rantanen

The title of Jarkko Rantanen’s exhibition refers to the Voyage Pittoresque travel illustrations of the 18th century. During that time, artists traveled across different countries, drawing and painting picturesque views of places they found beautiful—such as the ruins of ancient Rome. In his work, Rantanen explores the concept of Voyage Pittoresque from a somewhat similar perspective. He searches for intriguing viewpoints and structures within the dense mass of the forest, stretching the original meaning of the term by focusing on seemingly insignificant subjects, such as the shapes, depressions, and indentations in the forest landscape.

Rantanen’s picturesque subjects include trenches and dugouts from the Finnish Civil War.

The inspiration for this exhibition comes from painterly and material experimentation, which in itself becomes a kind of journey. His works, painted on aluminum, have a sketch-like quality, emphasizing spontaneity and fleeting moments. Rantanen paints the forest both in natural daylight and artificial lighting at night. In his aluminum paintings, he captures how colors, shapes, and atmosphere change under different lighting conditions. At night, artificial light reveals the scars of the forest, bringing out the various depressions in the terrain, while in daylight, the details of these structures blend into the forest’s colors and rhythm.

Rantanen has held solo exhibitions in various galleries, most recently at Mältinranta Art Center in Tampere and Galleria Uusi Kipinä in Lahti. He has also participated in numerous group exhibitions, including those at the Lahti Art Museum, Seinäjoki Art Hall, and Art Center Poleeni in Pieksämäki.

The exhibition at Poriginal Gallery continues the trajectory of Rantanen’s previous exhibitions in Lahti and Tampere.

Translated with ChatGPT