Emmi Mustonen

Artist Emmi Mustonen (born 1987) welcomes the idea of a community even when its members vividly differ from one another. She depicts such differences in her paintings and aims to prove that the differing traits in our personas are but superficial. Humanity encompasses us all. The main goal of the artist is to show the diversity in a light where the viewer finds something to which to connect. Mustonen’s work touch both by the avid consumers of art as well as the uncomfortable visitor to an art gallery. Mustonen works mainly with the old masters’ painting technique inspired by the renaissance. This technique comprises of slow and meticulous painting. At first, the art work must be carefully pre-planned. The emerging painting is made up of several thin layers of paint. After each layer, the paint must be allowed to dry. This allows for the colors to be mixed up on the canvas as pure, separate layers, deepening the play of light and shadow and bringing life to the hues. Painters mastering the realistic style are hard to find, artists proficient in the old masters’ technique are almost extinct. Patience and a certain level of perfectionism are required. However, for Mustonen, the technique is just a side dish. She is fascinated by how certain works rise up to take their place in art history, by the power art wields to connect with individuals despite differing backgrounds and cultures. As an artist, Mustonen is a master conveyer of emotional landscape, a master painter who does not shy away from technically challenging solutions.