A large painting dominates the view in Roger Martinsen’s bedroom. The board is the first thing he sees in the morning.
Artist Juhani Palmu’s character paintings that exude symbolism have received less attention. Roger Martinsen from Espoo can see their value.
“I dare claim that you haven’t seen anything like this anywhere else”, Roger Martinsen start the presentation.
And he’s right.
The walls of Martinsen, who lives in Espoo, are full Juhani Palmun works.
And Martinsen now wants to share them with all art lovers.
Juhani Palmu, who died in Kauhava on Wednesday, was known for his country-themed works. Latos and his love for lakes were visible in his works.
But Palmu painted more. And that’s what Martinsen turned his attention to eight years ago, when he visited his girlfriend at the time for the first time.
The woman had a work on her wall depicting the characters of Palmu.
“When I watched it, I realized that now I fell in love.”
The crush later deepened into love. Now Martinsen describes himself as completely delirious.
“I’m quite a man from the past,” he admits.
Roger Martinsen’s collection began with this Kylpijä work.
The board of the Haiti series has a lot of symbolism. Angel and hearts combine with more mystical symbols. There is magic behind them, which is not meant for everyone to know, Martinsen reflects.
When Martinsen retired a few years ago, he had more time than before for his art collecting.
Acquiring boards has also become easier over time. The word about the Palmu collector has been circulating in art circles. Martinsen hasn’t bought all the offered paintings, but only the ones he has felt a strong attraction to.
“I have a love affair with everyone.”
Now the collection is so large that not all paintings can fit on the wall of a large apartment. There are a total of almost 80 boards depicting characters.
Martinsen also has Palmu’s more well-known barn paintings, but they are at the cottage in more rural landscapes.
Martinsen had never collected art before, and even now he is not interested in works other than Palmu’s. One love in the field of art is enough, he says.
In the collection for Martinsen, it’s all about love. For him, it is the sustaining force that can be seen in the paintings.
“He has painted every painting with his love. Every board has a part of Palmu’s soul.”
Martinsen defines Palmu as similar to himself: a mysterious traveler on his own path. In the paintings, he also sees the sensitive side of the artist, who was caught up in the turmoil of his private life.
Around the figures you can see hearts, angels and like a shower of stars that blesses the figures in the picture.
Martinsen sees a lot to love and dream about in the characters.
Spirituality and sensitivity are often defined as feminine traits, Martinsen reflects. And as a spiritual, emotional person, he therefore says that his soul also contains a lot of woman. He puts on women’s clothes when he wants to and sees himself in the female figures in the paintings.
For Martinsen, the paintings are more than decorations. They invite you to look for yourself in faceless figures.
One the painting was a difficult purchase, because even the seller wouldn’t have wanted to give it up. It was also dear to him, says Martinsen.
The title of the work is Entwined with each otherand as the name suggests, it shows two characters closely together.
Martinsen sees two different meanings in the relationship between the two characters. Together, he holds his beloved in a tight embrace.
In the second, Martinsen himself is a female figure standing in front and his guardian angel is standing behind him.
The board looks different depending on the day. For Martinsen, this is where the beauty of the characters lies: they are full of symbolism and speak to their viewers in a way that suits that moment.
“I don’t think gender is very important, whether it’s a man or a woman or something in between,” Martinsen thinks while looking at the angel board.
Boards are not just decorations, but have meaning and their own atmosphere. That’s why Martinsen considers their places carefully.
The frames have also been carefully selected.
“I have changed several frames precisely because they have not brought out the work in the right way.”
Martinsen is meticulous about the frames of the paintings. They must support the work and its world in just the right way.
The collector sees many different dimensions in the figures painted by Palmu, from ancient symbols to creatures of outer space and from lovers to souls waiting for the next reality.
For Martinsen, collecting paintings is a life mission. According to Martinsen’s information, a large part of the works depicting characters have ended up outside of Finland with the stores.
For him, collecting works in his homeland is a cultural act that ensures that they are not forgotten in the attics.
“I’ve sort of saved them from the world.”
In Martinsen’s opinion, the characters deserve more attention than they currently have. He would like to present his collection to the museum staff or to someone doing a dissertation on art.
The collector who dedicated his life to figures believes that the public could see Palmu’s more sensitive side, a more diverse image of the artist through the paintings.
The walls of Roger Martinsen’s apartment are full of paintings. “I tend to say that I live in an art gallery. When I wake up in the morning, 54 boards wish me good morning.”
The artist’s after death, the value of the works will probably increase. Martinsen estimates the value of his collection at least half a million euros.
“Others have money in the bank, I have money in the tables. If I ever need a new car, I’ll sell one painting.”
Martinsen has not considered selling his collection. He thinks he can sell a few landscape paintings, because they don’t fit on the wall of the cottage. But he doesn’t give up on characters.
The dominant color of King Solomon and the Queen of Salva is gold or blue, depending on the light. “I have taken pictures of this from so many angles. From a certain angle the background is golden, in certain lights it looks three dimensional. And when the sun later comes through that window and illuminates, the painting starts to glow.”
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