KARI HUHTAMO ART FOUNDATION

SUOMI

ARTIST AND GRAPHIC DESIGNER JORMA HAUTALA

TAIDEMAALARI, GRAAFIKKO JORMA HAUTALA
Jorma Hautala (photographer Lucien den Arend)

Jorma Hautala, studied at the Free Art School 1959 -1960, and the graphic arts department of the School of Art and Design 1962 -1966. Hautala’s public career began with Kunsthalle Helsinki’s Young Artists- exhibition in 1967. Since then he has been involved in a wide variety of group exhibitions both at home and abroad, and has also had several solo exhibitions.

Hautala’s art has its roots in concretism. The stylistic constancy and consistency of geometric idiom offers a medium to address issues close to his heart. Paintings are often inspired by a visual problem and realize his subjective interpretation of color and its meaning. In addition to paintings Jorma Hautala has made sculptures and graphics. He has also co-operated with architects in the color design-related projects. Public commissions include murals for the National Opera in Helsinki and visual acoustics for the Music Hall of the House of Culture Korundi in Rovaniemi.

Hautala color plan for architecture.
color scheme for housing - Malmi Helsinki Finland (photographer Lucien den Arend)

Jorma Hautala is an active contributor to the art world as a writer and lecturer. He has taught at the University of Art (1971 -1972, 1977 - 1983) and the Academy of Fine Arts (1982 -1988). Hautala was appointed Honorary Professor of Arts for the 1995 -2000 by the Arts Council of Finland.

From Paintings to Color Designs Encounters-seminar 26.4.2007

In his seminar speech Jorma Hautala discussed the relationship between public art and architecture. Public art can create the site a strong and trend-free identity. It may serve as a common memory, and a social critique: "If successful, a public work of art may create an active dialogue between the different time periods and the changing environment in general, and thus bring a new historical layer. And when art is connected to the current building practices, it gets a social cultural role. At the same time it can create a new, missing dimension to its environment (10). "

Jorma Hautala color scheme for architecture.
color scheme for architecture Helsinki Finland (photographer Lucien den Arend)

Art and architecture may form a functional entity, where the borders of different forms of expression are blurred. In a contradictory relationship dialogue is created through the absoluteness of dividing lines. The element of surprise allows for far reaching thoughts: "Architecture usually seeks to be useful, where as art is nearly always characterized by self-centered action. In the intersection of these two regions one may reach an atmosphere of poetry and spirituality and restore the environment with multidimensionality and humanity. A public work of art may be physically minute, but of grand psychological effect (11).”

Katariina Lipsanen

Sources:

Jorma Hautala gave this lecture 27.9.2002 in the Art Places, the Meeting of Architecture and Art –seminar in Kiasma. The lecture was published in the Taiteilija-magazine 4/2002 under the title Private and Public – Contact Points. The translated quotations are from that article.
Marjut Pitkänen, Kari Huhtamon Taidesäätiö ja Sari Väyrynen, Lapin Yliopisto. Bulletin on the Encounters-seminar.
Merja Vehmas: Top artists trust the idea of the world class university. Lapin Kansa 27.4.2007.


Encounters page
Kari Piippo
Lucien den Arend
Jorma Hautala
Yrjö Kukkapuro
Antero Toikka