Ulla Rantanen was born in Keitele in 1938. She studied graphic arts at the Helsinki Academy of Fine Arts from 1955 to 1959. She has worked as professor of art since 2009, but has mostly withdrawn from the artistic circuit.

Her artistic production remains nonetheless influential in her native Finland. Most celebrated for her charcoal drawings, pencil drawings and metal graphics, her earlier works reference human figures, while later works focus more on objects depicted in an almost photographic way with hints to pop art. Her works from the end of the 20th century venture towards the frontiers of abstraction, capturing nature in a more atmospheric way. In these, allusions to northern nature appear in a subtle or symbolic manner.

Her works from the 21st century reference another cultural and geographic source, Africa. Rantanen has lived in Kenya for various periods and the influences of this experience shine through her in later works.

Public works also are part of her oeuvre and include large murals commissioned by the cities of Kuusankoski and Kajaani, among others. She has also illustrated Frans Emil Sillanpää’s collected works (1988–1990).

Her contributions to Finnish contemporary art have been acknowledged through numerous prizes: grand prix at the Cagnes-sur-Mer International Painting Exhibition (1980), the Pro Finlandia Medal (1985), Artist of the Year at the Helsinki Festival Weeks (1985) and the Finnish Cultural Foundation’s recognition award (1989).

Her retrospective exhibitions include, in particular, a comprehensive show at the Helsinki Art Gallery in 1985 and a retrospective at Kouvola Art Museum in 2018 grouping works spanning over 60 years.