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.
Cockerel, 1973, oil on canvas, 140 x 104 cm
Sabina, 1974, charcoal and oil on canvas, 99 x 77 cm
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
Ricardo, 1974, oil on canvas, 116 x 90 cm
Space Flight (triptych), 1975, oil on canvas, 215 x 350 cm
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.
Je t’aime, 1975, oil on canvas, 116 x 119 cm
Small Aubade, 1975, oil on canvas, 44 x 38 cm
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.
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.
Blue Coquerel, 1979, oil on canvas, 185 x 125 cm
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.
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.
Spring IX (Pale Landscape), 1983, oil on canvas, 81 x 99 cm
Spring II (Orange Tree), 1983, oil on canvas, 84 x 95 cm
Spring III (Cat in the Foreground), 1983, oil on canvas, 80 x 99 cm
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.
Grapevine, 1983, oil on canvas, 140 x 110 cm
Rose and New Moon, 1984, oil on canvas, 84 x 84 cm
New Moon, 1985, oil on canvas, 108 x 138 cm
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.
Spring, 1987, oil on canvas, 58 x 58 cm
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.
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Kalium
