teokset_text1.jpg

     a._snellman_punainen_99x77_oljyvari_1973_44.jpg

Red, 1973, oil on canvas,  99 x 77 cm

 

If Anita Snellman’s Spanish period began in the 1950s with the dark and mordant hues of the post-war period,
then by the 1970s the mood had changed to one of celebration for life’s pleasures, very much in the spirit of Matisse.

 

 

 

 

      a._snellman_kukko_140x104_oljyvari_1973_42.jpg

 

Cockerel, 1973, oil on canvas,  140 x 104 cm

 

 

 

      a._snellman_sabina_99x77_oljyvari_ja_hiili_1974_50.jpg

 

Sabina, 1974, charcoal and oil on canvas,  99 x 77 cm

 

 

 

      a._snellman_ilse_125x90_oljyvari_1974_48.jpg

 

Ilse, 1974, oil on canvas,  125 x 90 cm

 

From the early 1950s on, Ibiza was very popular among international artists and writers. One of them
was Ilse. Ilse, bathed in warm blue light, generates an intriguing sense of the model’s very being.

 

 

 

      a._snellman_ricardo_116x90_oljyvari_1974_49.jpg

 

Ricardo, 1974, oil on canvas,  116 x 90 cm

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_avaruusmatka_triptyykki_215x350_oljyvari_1975koko.jpg

 

Space Flight (triptych), 1975, oil on canvas,  215 x 350 cm

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_puutarha_kuutamolla_180x175_oljyvari_1975_51.jpg

 

Garden in the Moonlight, 1975, oil on canvas,  180 x 175 cm

 

In the garden by night, the slightly eerie atmosphere is just right. The familiar landscape has been
intriguingly transformed by the pale moonlight. The large scale of the painting enhances its intensity.

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_je_taime_116x119_oljyvari_1975_52.jpg

 

Je t’aime, 1975, oil on canvas, 116 x 119 cm

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_pieni_aamuruno_44x38_oljyvari_1975_55.jpg

 

Small Aubade, 1975, oil on canvas,  44 x 38 cm

 

 

 

        a._snellman_sininen_poika_sininen_180x175_oljyvari_1976_57.jpg

 

Blue Boy Blue, 1976, oil on canvas,  180 x 175 cm

 

Blue Boy Blue was Anita’s choice for the cover of the 1976 Helsinki Artist of the Year exhibition 
catalogue. Its airy, radiantly happy atmosphere is compelling. The theme is timeless: a child of 
nature playing the pipes amidst flowing water refreshed by a summer breeze.

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_jupiter_ja_saturnus_kohtaavat_180x175_oljyvari_1979__61.jpg

 

Jupiter and Saturn converge, 1979, oil on canvas,  180 x 175 cm

 

The Milky Way fascinated Anita. She suffered from insomnia and the clear night sky kept her company during sleepless nights. 
The heavenly bodies became her friends and spurs to her imagination; the cosmos as a metaphor for life’s vicissitudes.

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_sininen_kukko_185x125_oljyvari_1979_60.jpg

 

Blue Coquerel, 1979, oil on canvas,  185 x 125 cm

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_sivuvalossa_valk._asetelma_54x54_oljyvari_1982_71.jpg

 

Sidelit, 1982, oil on canvas,  54 x 54 cm

 

The many possibilities and nuances of a single colour excited Anita. 
White was a favourite, being the very epitome of the south’s warmth and light.

 

 

 

 

       a._snellman_valkea_harso_ja_peili_125x135_oljyvari_1983_76.jpg

 

White Veil and Mirror, 1983, oil on canvas,  125 x 135 cm

 

The self-portrait in the mirror, the veil, the lilies, the jug, the conch shell and the lemon were Anita’s world. 
They are also the world of the long tradition of art history. Therein lie many stories and seekers after beauty.

 

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_kevatta_ix_81x99_oljyvari_1983_82.jpg

 

Spring IX (Pale Landscape), 1983, oil on canvas,  81 x 99 cm

 

 

 

        a._snellman_kevatta_ii_84x95_oljyvari_1983_79.jpg

 

Spring II (Orange Tree), 1983, oil on canvas, 84 x 95 cm

 

 

 

        a._snellman_kevatta_ii_80x99_oljyvari_1983_80.jpg

 

Spring III (Cat in the Foreground), 1983, oil on canvas, 80 x 99 cm

 

 

 

        a._snellman_suudelma_176x150_oljyvari_1983_73.jpg

 

The Kiss, 1983, oil on canvas, 176 x 150 cm

 

For the incurable romantic, the erotic meant the freeing up of natural energy. The Kiss is like an electric charge between 
two people in the shade of the grapevine. Even in the happiness of the moment, certain of the clusters remind us of life’s transcience.

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_viinikoynnos_140x110_oljyvari_1983_74.jpg

 

Grapevine, 1983, oil on canvas, 140 x 110 cm

 

 

 

        a._snellman_ruusu_ja_uusikuu_84x84_oljyvari_1984_87.jpg

 

Rose and New Moon, 1984, oil on canvas, 84 x 84 cm

 

 

 

        a._snellman_uudenkuun_aikaan_helmikuu_108x138_oljyvari_1985_88.jpg

 

New Moon, 1985, oil on canvas, 108 x 138 cm

 

 

 

        a._snellman_22.1.85_leukaluu_99x115_oljyvari_1985_89.jpg

 

22.10.85 (Jawbone), 1985, oil on canvas, 99 x 115 cm

 

Anita constantly inscribed her paintings with the exact date of composition. Here we are on the verge of winter.
The still life has a dramatic air, with sharp contrasts and collage-like torn edges. The jawbone, symbolizing death, is the only
unlikely object on the table. There it sits in all its whiteness, among bottles, vases, lemons, a conch shell and a candlestick.

 

 

 

 

        a._snellman_kevatta_58x58_oljyvari_1987_92.jpg

 

Spring, 1987, oil on canvas, 58 x 58 cm

 

 

 

        a._snellman_sateen_jalkeen_29.2.90_talayas_85x96_oljyvari_1990_96.jpg

 

After the Rain, 1990, oil on canvas, 85 x 96 cm

 

Nature’s life force and diversity inspired Anita throughout the seasons. In 1990 
the artist was still at her creative best, as is clear from this joyful rhapsody in green.