The portrait of the spouse of the President of the Republic of Finland Jenni Haukio has been unveiled at the Presidential Palace. The portrait has been painted by artist and painter Susanne Gottberg.
The portrait has been painted on birch veneer, which the artist says provides the background with depth and structure as the surface of the background has been partly rubbed down to make the wood visible. “The plant or branch painted in the foreground of the painting has a dialogue with the tree, and the idea has been to bring more depth and movement to the painting,” Gottberg says. The technique used in the portrait is oil and coloured pencil.
The portrait of Dr Haukio continues the almost 100-year-old tradition of portraits of the spouses of Finnish presidents. The first one was the portrait of Ester Ståhlberg, the wife of President K.J. Ståhlberg, which was painted by Eero Snellman in 1935.
The portrait of Dr Haukio has been placed in the Atrium Gallery in the Presidential Palace, where the portraits of the previous spouses of Finnish presidents are also located.
