Roiskuma

Roiskuma is a term used in Finnish art discourse to describe a painting technique in which pigment is applied to a surface through spontaneous, energetic gestures, creating splatters, drips, and smeared marks. The term derives from the Finnish roiskua, meaning to splash or spray, with the noun-form roiskuma indicating the resulting texture or style.

Technique and materials: Typically acrylics or oils on canvas or prepared panels. Methods include flicking, splattering, pouring, or dragging pigment with brushes, sticks, or even hands. The emphasis is on gestural immediacy and the physical action of making marks, with chance and motion playing a role in the final composition. Surfaces may be prepped to hold textured layers; layering creates depth.

Historical usage: The concept emerged in late 20th-century and 21st-century criticism as part of broader discussions of gestural abstraction and action painting. Some critics connect roiskuma to international movements such as abstract expressionism and its emphasis on painterly energy, while others note distinct Finnish contexts and experiments with surface and color.

Variations and related terms: Roiskuma sometimes overlaps with dripping, splattering, and spray-technique categories. Artists may combine roiskuma with controlled passages to balance spontaneity and structure.

Reception: Critics vary; supporters highlight energy, texture, and unpredictability; detractors point to a perceived lack of control or coherence. The term remains primarily used in art criticism and contemporary exhibitions rather than as a formal painting category.