Silja Rantanen (born 1955), together with Marika Mäkelä and Leena Luostarinen, is considered one of the most prominent Finnish neo-expressionists.
Rantanen studied architecture at the Helsinki University of Technology from 1974-1976, then art at the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts from 1976-1980. The architecture studies left a lasting impression: the motifs of Rantanen's work are often tied to spatiality and the experience and meaning of space. Her works often feature elements from the world of architecture; lines, planes and surfaces are used to create multidimensional images.
The work “Artist and Spectator” is part of a series involving seven works. During a sojourn in Paris, Rantanen had the opportunity to study one of Loris Cecchini's works over a longer period of time. The work in question, a cart made out of an irregular web that enabled the viewer to experience the artwork both from the inside and from the outside, served as inspiration for Rantanen's series. Rantanen was the third Finnish artist to be awarded the prestigious Carnegie Art Award (1999, second prize) and has since been invited to participate in the Carnegie Art Award competition twice (2004 and 2008). She has received several significant awards, e.g. the Ars-Fennica prize in 1996 and the Pro Finlandia medal in 2005. In 2009 Rantanen was appointed professor of the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts.