Reidar Särestöniemi

Sale: Bukowskis, Helsinki, 28 November 1998, lot 156
Purchased by the present owner at the above sale

This condition report has been provided by Hamish Dewar, Hamish Dewar Ltd. Fine Art Conservation, 14 Masons Yard, Duke Street, St James's, London SW1Y 6BU. Structural Condition The canvas is unlined on a conventional wooden stretcher. Paint Surface The paint surface is unvarnished. There is a craquelure pattern particularly in the orange pigment, caused by the matt drying process of the artist's pigment. Some of the craquelure is slightly raised, but it is at present stable. There are also fine lines of drying craquelure in some of the darker pigments. Inspection under ultra-violet light shows a number of small retouchings in the orange pigment and one small area in the upper right of the composition. Summary The painting would therefore appear to be in good condition although it should be noted it must be handled carefully due to the brittle nature of the artist's materials.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The vivid palette and visible inspiration of the traditions and stories of the people of Lapland and their natural environment are distinctive elements in the oeuvre of Reidar Särestöniemi. Apart from several years of study at the Finnish Art Society's drawing school, the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki and the Ilya Repin Institute in Leningrad between the years of 1947 to 1959, Särestöniemi spent the entirety of his life at his family farm in his beloved Lappish countryside.

Born Reidar Kaukonen, his family renamed themselves after their farm near the Ounaskoji River. This deep-rooted identification with the flora and fauna of Lapland and his cultural heritage extended to a visual language seen in his most creative and controversial works of the 1960s and 1970s. Motifs such as willow grouse, lynx, peatlands, fells, rams and reindeer feature consistently in his paintings, and the vibrancy of nature and the Lappish folkloric element form the foundation of the artist's best-known works of this period.

Works such as the present are large-scale illustrations of an emotional connection with a cultural and natural landscape, influenced by European Modernism, Russian art and pre-historic cave paintings.