Lauri Ahlgrén

Lauri Ahlgrén (born 1929)

The painter and graphic artist Lauri Ahlgrén is one of the foremost Finnish informalists. Something of a renaissance man, Ahlgrén has successfully combined an active art career with various commissions of trust within the political art scene, teaching positions and active involvement in a number of art-related societies. He has also held the position of editor in chief for Taide magazine twice. Since his artistic breakthrough in the 1960s, Ahlgréns work has been characterized by informal harmonies of colour and multidimensional compositions.

Ahlgréns passion for drawing and painting stems from his childhood. He studied drawing by correspondence for the drawing school ABC, one of his teachers being Unto Pusa. He was accepted into the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts in 1950 and was taught by Sam Vanni and Aukusti Tuhka among others. Ahlgrén also studied at Tuhka's legendary graphic art school and, inspired by Vanni, applied and was accepted to the Free Art School.

Characteristic for Ahlgrén's production is a fascination with the monumental art of ancient Egypt. The temporal dimension and forms frozen in time are other central themes. One of the key insights of Ahlgréns artistic career was the notion that time could be portrayed in colour. Other singificant influences were the pop art of the 1960s and 1970s and kinetic art which introduced the checkered pattern into Ahlgrén's work.
Furthermore, this highly versatile artist is counted among the foremost stained glass artists in Finland. He created his first stained glass windows for the Oulu cathedral and, to date, dozens of churches around the country boast stained glass by Ahlgrén. In 1997 he was appointed artist professor.