Nature motifs and human figures lead to a multilayered world of woodcut prints. Produced using the reduction technique, works displayed in Jaana Paulus’ (b. 1963) exhibition showcase the artist’s career, which spans over 30 years. In the reduction technique, all the colours to be used in the work are printed with a single block. A single work will involve printing colours several times; as the work progresses, the block is eventually “carved out”.

In the 1990s, Paulus’ woodcut prints were colourful and controversial. In the 2000s her woodcut prints became more personal. A work might portray a female saint without a halo and stigmata on her wrists. In recent years, lake landscapes have emerged in her work. Lake Päijänne and its shores have been a familiar place for Paulus since her childhood. Paulus portrays events symbolically or even surrealistically.

In the early 2000s she restored medieval wooden sculptures at the Church of St. Mary in Hollola. Impressed by the damaged beauty of the sculptures, Paulus introduced gilding to her own work as part of technique. Combining gilding with paper-based printing is challenging, but it adds a new dimension, such as shadows and reflections of branches on the surface of water.

Memories of the fragility of life and the mutual suffering caused by humans as well as her own experiences with the beauty and glory of nature are recurring themes in Paulus’ work. Her work reveals the vulnerability of life, while also highlighting the power channelled to humans by nature.

The Finnish Cultural Foundation provided funding for the exhibition.