Maiju Lassila, Writer

When Tohmajärvi county wanted to commemorate the famous Finnish author Maiju Lassila, they decided to commission a relief from Eronen, who had lived in the town as a boy. Eronen was born in Finnish Karelia, in an area of the country that was lost to Soviet Russia in the Second World War. A war refugee, his young widowed mother remarried and settled in Tohmajärvi.

Eronen never met Lassila, but he worked from photographs and also met the writer’s daughter who spoke to him about her father. Eronen’s stepfather, who had known Lassila, also told stories about the author. Eronen was familiar with Lassila’s books and developed a sympathetic view of the man, although he did not share his political views. Refusing to allow politics interfere with the creative process, Eronen always underlined the humanity of his subjects, regardless of their origins. While sketching, Eronen tried to identify the facial expression that reflected the person’s innermost essence – their soul.

Eronen possessed a photographic memory. He explained that once certain facial expressions were registered in his memory, he could work for a long time without needing to see the model. Such was the strength of his internal vision that looking at photos or models could even disturb the creative process – not to mention, the sight of someone posing artificially for a certain look.

Bronze and red granite.

Maiju Lassila

About the artwork

Theme(s): People
Material(s): Bronze, Granite
Art form(s): Sculpture

Details

Exhibit Number: 61
Height: 170 cm

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