Anja Reponen
Face Space
Anja Reponen is an illustrator based in Helsinki who mostly works on portraits. Her clients include names such as The New York Times, Google Design, HS Kuukausiliite, It’s Nice That, Lenny Letter, Musiikkitalo, Otava, Smithsonian Institute and Suomen Kuvalehti. The exhibition at Galleria Kuvitus features portraits made using a variety of techniques, both originals and ones printed to a larger size. There are both commissioned works and free artistic studies on display.
“I’ve always found portraits to be the most interesting yet also the most challenging to illustrate,” says Reponen. She has reflected on the boundaries between illustrative and fine art portraits. According to her, a fine art portrait focuses on inner feelings and impressions, while the most important characteristic of an illustrative portrait is likeness. “It’s interesting how you capture likeness and how it might depend on something very small or surprising.”
For Reponen, drawing the human face with its endless variations is always fascinating. Capturing the inner world of a subject is a luxury for the illustrator, given the fast deadlines and the demand for likeness. When creating a portrait, she feels like she’s spending time with and getting to know her model. Compared to a photograph, an illustration can add a unique touch to even the most familiar faces and bring out a whole new side of them.
