Pentti Papinaho (2 June 1926 — 8 March 1992) was a

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

sculptor Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...

especially known for his public works featuring military, patriotic or religious themes, active particularly in the Tavastia region of Finland.

Education

Papinaho studied at art school 1947—1951, followed by further studies in sculpture at the Fine Arts Academy of Finland 1951—1951. Later, he taught for many years at various art schools in the

Lahti Lahti (; sv, Lahtis) is a city and municipality in Finland. It is the capital of the region of Päijänne Tavastia (Päijät-Häme) and its growing region is one of the main economic hubs of Finland. Lahti is situated on a bay at the southern e ...

and Orimattila area, alongside his own creative career.

Work

Papinaho's work can be see at the same time both as

representative Representative may refer to: Politics * Representative democracy, type of democracy in which elected officials represent a group of people * House of Representatives, legislative body in various countries or sub-national entities * Legislator, som ...

and abstract. Many of his works feature humans and horses, and he is renowned for his mastery of both human and equine anatomies. In addition to large-scale sculpture, Papinaho is also known as a

medal A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...

designer. Papinaho's works are included in the collections of many art museums, including

Ateneum Ateneum is an art museum in Helsinki, Finland and one of the three museums forming the Finnish National Gallery. It is located in the centre of Helsinki on the south side of Rautatientori square close to Helsinki Central railway station. It ha ...

(

Finnish National Gallery Finnish National Gallery ( fi, Suomen Kansallisgalleria, sv, Finlands Nationalgalleri) is the largest art museum institution of Finland. It consists of the Ateneum, an art museum; Kiasma, a contemporary art museum; and the Sinebrychoff Art Muse ...

) in Helsinki, and the

Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is the list of ...

of St Petersburg.

Selected works

*1963:

Joutjärvi church Joutjärvi church (Finnish: ''Joutjärven kirkko'') is a Lutheran church in the Möysä district of Lahti, Finland. It serves the eastern inner city neighbourhoods, with a total parish population of 16,500. Architecture Designed in 1960-61 and c ...

altar piece An altarpiece is an artwork such as a painting, sculpture or relief representing a religious subject made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting ...

''Golgata'' ('

Calvary Calvary ( la, Calvariae or ) or Golgotha ( grc-gre, Γολγοθᾶ, ''Golgothâ'') was a site immediately outside Jerusalem's walls where Jesus was said to have been crucified according to the canonical Gospels. Since at least the early mediev ...

') and exterior relief ''Kymmenen neitsyttä'' ('Ten Virgins') *1966: ''Vesieste'' ('Water Hurdle'),

Tampere Stadium Tampere Stadium ( fi, Tampereen stadion), also known as Ratina Stadium ( fi, Ratinan stadion), designed by architect Timo Penttilä and completed in 1965, is a multi-purpose stadium in Tampere, Finland, with a seating capacity of 16,800 people ...

fountain sculpture *1974: ', memorial to the

Hakkapeliitta Hakkapeliitta (Finnish language, Finnish pl. ''hakkapeliitat'') is a historiographical term used for a Finns, Finnish light cavalryman in the service of King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden during the Thirty Years' War (1618 to 1648). Hakkapeliitta ...

*1988: ' statue and related relief, Seinäjoki Civil Guard House (Images of many of Papinaho's works can be seen on the Finnish wiki page.)

Honours and awards

In 1976, Papinaho was awarded the ' medal of the

Order of the Lion of Finland The Order of the Lion of Finland ( fi, Suomen Leijonan ritarikunta; sv, Finlands Lejons orden) is one of three official orders in Finland, along with the Order of the Cross of Liberty and the Order of the White Rose of Finland. The President ...

, as well as the ''Pro Arte'' medal. In 1982, the honorary title of '' Professori'' was conferred on Papinaho by the

President of Finland The president of the Republic of Finland ( fi, Suomen tasavallan presidentti; sv, Republiken Finlands president) is the head of state of Finland. Under the Constitution of Finland, executive power is vested in the Finnish Government and the p ...

. He also received multiple awards in sculpture contests.

Personal life

Pentti Papinaho was born to Jalmari Papinaho and Annikki Mannisenmäki. He was married to Annikki Kottila. The couple had four children. In 1986, to mark his 60th birthday, Papinaho established a

charitable foundation A foundation (also a charitable foundation) is a category of nonprofit organization or charitable trust that typically provides funding and support for other charitable organizations through grants, but may also engage directly in charitable act ...

in his name, supporting

fine arts In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwork ...

in the

Päijät-Häme Päijät-Häme () is a region in Southern Finland south of the lake Päijänne. It borders the regions of Uusimaa, Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), Pirkanmaa, Central Finland, South Savo and Kymenlaakso. The biggest city in the region is Lahti. ...

region. Papinaho died of a sudden attack of illness at the relatively young age of 65. He was in the middle of a productive artistic period, and left behind several unfinished works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Papinaho, Pentti Finnish sculptors 20th-century Finnish sculptors People from Multia 1926 births 1992 deaths Abstract sculptors Pro Finlandia Medals of the Order of the Lion of Finland