Seppo Mattinen

A Nordic Path Through Paris and Copenhagen

Helsinki, 1930. The beginnings of Seppo Mattinen are rooted in the Finnish capital, where he first studied art and crafts at the Konstindustri．industriella läroverket. His path moves quickly across borders. By 1949, the air of Paris becomes his classroom for a year. This brief period in France precedes a move to Gothenburg, Sweden. There, he refines his technical foundation at the Slöjdföreningen School and the Hovedskou painting school.

The trajectory shifts toward Denmark in 1954 when he gains admission to Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi. A year later, Copenhagen becomes his home. His presence in the Danish art scene is marked by a debut at the Kunstnernes Efterårsudstilling in 1955. He finds a place within the artist group Grønningen, establishing himself as a fixture of the local creative landscape.

Technique and the Observed World

Mattinen works with a versatility that spans various media. His practice is defined by oil paintings, but his hand is equally present in woodcuts and other graphic techniques. He focuses on specific, grounded subjects: figure compositions, interiors, and still lifes. There is a particular focus on the human element within landscapes and everyday settings.

His repertoire includes works such as:

• Fiskeläge, 1962
• Hus med oplyst vindue, aften, 1965
• Reclining female nude, 1966
• The concertina player
• Taxachaufføren synger, 2000

The imagery often captures a quiet, sometimes skewed perspective on the world. Whether depicting a street scene with figures or a solitary man in a landscape, the work maintains an openness to imagination and dreamlike qualities.

Recognition and Later Years

The mid-1980s bring a change in geography. Mattinen moves to Rome, where he resides from 1985 until 2016. Despite this Italian period, his connection to Denmark remains deep. His honors include the Eckersberg Medal, awarded in 1982 or 1985, and the Statens Kunstfond, a Danish State Artist's Grant received in 1991.

His legacy is physically etched into the architecture of Copenhagen through a mural on a gable in Nørrebro that lasted from 1993 to 2019. He also contributed religious works, such as an altarpiece in Fladstrand kirke and a triptych for Herstedøster Kirke. His paintings are held in collections across Scandinavia, London, Helsinki, Tampere, and even Oregon, USA.