His landscape and still life paintings are so detailed and perfect, that you'd never think his first exhibition was staged some time back in the 1920's. The fact that Heinonen is now 96 years old is entirely irrelevant – these are excellent paintings regardless.

Heinonen's landscapes, his new paintings, his expressive lithographs and the delightful drawings done back in the 50's, exude a fine feeling of synthesis.

They are smooth, homogenous and at the same time razor-sharp and precise. His still lifes on the other hand are absolutely elegant and intense: he lends his subjects so much life that you begin to wonder if they are to be interpreted as a statement on life itself.

Here we see more than just figures and objects in these works. The oldest drawing in the exhibition, for example, shows a huge tree in a cemetery entitled "The Tree of Life". It is a powerful symbol – and at the same time an immaculate drawing of a beautiful landscape. What artist today creates this kind of quiet, understated and all the more meaningful symbolism?

The exhibition showcases the entire oeuvre throughout the decades of the artists's life – Heinonen's outstanding talent and artistic hallmark however have lost nothing of their vitality down though the years. This was highlighted by the fact that many of the much younger generation, his students at the Academy of Fine Arts in the post-war years, flocked to the opening of the exhibition of Heinonen's works.



Author:
Pessi Rautio (Helsingin Sanomat "NYT", 13.12.2002)

Translation:
Peggy Graham-Sechtem