Joel Pettersson

Joel Pettersson (1892-1937) grew up in Lemland, Åland. His parents Daniel and Emilia Pettersson came from the archipelago municipality of Föglö and as outsiders they were never really accepted in Lemland. Joel Pettersson's life was thus characterised early on by a sense of alienation.
His father expected Joel to become a farmer and he made valiant attempts in that direction, but it was his involvement in the local youth organisation that he was really passionate about. In it he wrote over forty plays that dealt with subjects such as evil, human vanity and weakness with a local flavour and a comic tone. He often acted in his own plays and, in addition to theatre, his activities in the youth association included giving speeches, leading discussions and drawing.

Pettersson's dream was to become a recognised artist, as rich and famous as Victor Westerholm, and in 1913 he was accepted as a student at the Turku Drawing School, where Westerholm was headmaster. Unfortunately, his time at the drawing school was characterised by setbacks. The time was not ripe for Pettersson's exuberant imagination and modern design language, which did not allow itself to be shackled by the conventions of the time. Westerholm was not merciful to his student and after two years Pettersson had enough and returned to Åland to become a full-time farmer. However, the drive to create in words and pictures remained, as strong as ever.

Pettersson's writings and stories were closely linked to his art, but none of his written work was published during his lifetime, although he did achieve some success as a visual artist. His works are painterly and vibrant, painted in an expressionist colour scheme in large sweeps and with a lack of detail. The paintings are characterised by a careful balance between light and shadow and the motifs often depict the home village; the village road leads home, but is also a path to the unknown. Apart from Mikko Carlstedt, who was an important inspiration in his art practice, Pettersson did not keep in touch with other artists.

Much of Pettersson's life was characterised by mental illness and he died in Grelsby Mental Hospital in 1937, aged only 44, diagnosed with schizophrenia. Shortly before his death, Pettersson had something of a breakthrough at a major exhibition in Mariehamn, but by then he was no longer mentally capable of enjoying the success and had already destroyed some of his artistic output. His literary works were not published until the 1970s, and as a depiction of life in Åland in the early 1900s, Pettersson is unrivalled. One can easily find parallels to his art in the imagination, expressive expression and existential questions of his stories.

Despite the mental darkness that plagued him, Pettersson tried to maintain a pure, unadorned and even slightly naive view of life. No matter how burdensome life is, one should combat inner chaos by embracing joy. This motto is particularly evident in the work 'Riding Children', now for sale, in which the children bravely defy their terrifying surroundings and the abyss beneath them. Or as Joel Pettersson, also known as "Åland's van Gogh", put it in a euphoric moment: "I will jump. I want to dance. And I will keep my mind open and happy like a child's".