Elsa Elenius (1897-1967)
ceramic artist
Elsa Elenius officially studied at the department of ceramics of the Central School of Arts and Crafts in Helsinki from 1915 until 1918, but continued her studies for several years under her teacher A. W. Finch. In 1931, she undertook a study trip to the Sèvres porcelain factory in France. After the death of Finch in 1930, Elenius became head teacher at the department of ceramics of the Central School of Applied Arts, working in this capacity until 1962. She continued this work along the lines of her esteemed predecessor, emphasizing precision of form and the variation of surfaces achieved with glazes. Like Finch, she focused on one-off works of ceramics and studio work in her teaching. She was respected by her students, but was also a strict and uncompromising teacher. Alongside her teaching, she engaged in her own ceramic art, and was able to use the large ceramic kiln of the Ateneum in Helsinki for firing her pieces.
Typical ceramic works by Elsa Elenius were large pots, dishes, urns and wall-hung plates of distinct forms. She wheel-turned the pieces herself. In the 1920s, Elenius painted ornamental decorations on the objects, such as motifs from Oriental mythology, human figures or plant motifs. In the 1930s, she rejected painted ornament and worked with glaze as the only element of decoration. Elenius mostly made one-off pieces, and very little utility ware. Her whole oeuvre is marked by refinement, harmony and timeless beauty.
Elsa Elenius participated in many international exhibitions and received numerous awards. These included a gold medal from the Barcelona World’s Fair of 1929, the Grand Prix at the Milan Triennial of 1933, the Grand Prix of the Brussels World’s Fair of 1935, and a gold medal from the Paris World’s Fair of 1937. At the New York World’s Fair of 1939, Elsa Elenius displayed an impressive collection of some twenty of her most recent works. This showing, however, turned out to be severe setback, since most of the works were stolen or broken. From then on, she focused on teaching instead of artistic production. Ceramics by Elsa Elenius aroused a great deal of attention at a major exhibition of Nordic applied art in Stockholm in 1946. She held her only solo exhibition at the Stockmann department store in Helsinki in 1933. Elsa Elenius was awarded the Pro Arte Utili medal of the Finnish Society of Crafts and Design in 1922 and the Cross of Merit of the Order of the Lion of Finland in 1952.
Auli Suortti-Vuorio
Bibliography:
Hellman, Åsa (ed.), Taidekeramiikka Suomessa. Keuruu 2004.
Kalha, Harri (ed.), Ruukuntekijästä multimediataiteilijaan. Taideteollinen korkeakoulu. Jyväskylä 1996.
Keinänen, Timo, Finland and the 1933 Milan Triennale. Form Function Finland vol. 4/1993.
Leppänen, Helena (ed.), Ruukun runoutta ja materiaalin mystiikkaa. Sata vuotta keramiikkataiteen opetusta ja tutkimusta. Taideteollinen korkeakoulu. Helsinki 2003.
Suomen Koristetaiteilijain Liitto Ornamon 7. vuosikirja 1935. Helsinki 1935.
Urrila-Stänbeck, Auli, Keramiikkataiteilija Elsa Elenius. Muoto no 4/1983.
Photos:
Vase
Photo Ervamaa / Design Museum
Bowl
Chamotte, 1938. Photo Pietinen / Design Museum
Bowl and vases
Early 1930s. Photo Pietinen / Design Museum
