Photo: Marikka Sabel
In his doctoral dissertation situated in the fields of visual arts, semiotics, and learning research, Licentiate of Education Ohto Sabel examines how painting produces meaning and how artistic work shapes the artist. The study shows that painting is not only about making artworks, but also a process of learning, thinking, and meaning-making. According to the findings, artistic becoming should not be understood primarily through changes in style or external recognition, but through the development of perception, action, and meaning-making. The dissertation offers a new model for examining the painting process and the finished artwork together, and opens new perspectives on the study of artistic expertise, art education, and the understanding of painting as an activity that constructs meaning.
The doctoral dissertation of Licentiate of Education Ohto Sabel, Signs of Painting, Acts of Art: Semiotics of Artistic Becoming, will be publicly examined at the Faculty of Education and Culture of Tampere University on Friday 22 May 2026.
The opponent will be Professor Emeritus Eero Tarasti from the University of Helsinki. The custos will be Professor Emeritus Eero Ropo from Tampere University.