Myths and Art: Semiotical analisys of the influence of Kalevala on Finnish Art Part I: Kalevalas for

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Myths and ArtSemiotical analisys of the
influence of Kalevala on Finnish ArtPart
I Kalevalas formation, origins, Ilmatar,
Väinämöinen, Joukahainen, Aino, Lemminäinen,
Ilmarinen, Sampo

• Vesa Matteo Piludu, 2008

Institute for Art Research, Semiotics University
of Helsinki
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Semiotic communication

• Social and cultural Contexts
• Adresser (sender of message)
• Message (communicative act based on a system of
  signs and on a code)
• Code (language, visual, musical code)
• Sign or signs (Icon)
• Meaning of the sign
• Adressee (receiver of the message)
• Communication I he/she, I-I (self reflection),
  we-they (ethnic), mass communication (media)
• The communication defines not only the signs and
  their role, but also the identities of the
  adresser and the adressee (Lotman, Bachtin)

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Cultural Change

• If the Social and Cultural Context changes
• the Icons (symbols myths, coat of arms,
  monuments) generally survive (memory of signs)
• But the meaning of the signs, and the
  communicative acts in wich the signs are used
  could change
• Semiotic deals with the dynamic aspects of
  signification
• Bauters, Merja Changes in Beer Labels and their
  Meaning A Holistic Approach to the Semiosic
  Process (Phd thesis)

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Kalevala and Finnish Arts

• The Finnish Epic Poem Kalevala Old Kalevala 1828
  - New Kalevala1849 by Elias Lönnrot
  (Ethnographer-Poet)
• In English on the web
• http//www.sacred-texts.com/neu/kveng/index.htm
• The Kalevala
• by Elias Lönnrot
• Translated by John Martin Crawford
• 1888

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Kalevala based on Finnish Folk Poetry

• No Kalevala in Finnish Folk Culture, but a many
  differents epics songs, spells, marriage songs
  disconnected to each other
• The context was the village culture
• The message was musical-lyrical performance of a
  skilled singer
• The code was musical mnemonic (kalevalaic
  octosillabic metre)
• Nu-ku nuku nur-mi li----ntu
• Two melodic lines (ab ab ab)
• Modal incipit incipit sol in g
  (sol-la-do-re-mi)
• Rhythm 2/4 or 5/4

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Traditional folk singers
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Elias - Väänänen
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Kalevala manipulated the signification
processof Finnish Folk Poetry for a new social
and cultural context

• Elias Lönnrot wrote down the songs (change on the
  code (from oral to written from music to
  literature)
• He joined toghether different themes and choosed
  the principal myth (Sampo) as a red line from
  fragnetation to unity
• Social context from village culture to national
  culture
• Messages contex from oral performance to
  reading
• Adresser from Oral poets (anonimous) to a Poet
  Lönnrot
• Adressee from other villagers to intellectuals,
  scholars, teachers, artists, politics
• Meaning of the kalevalaic signs from rituals and
  village entertainment to the building of Finnish
  national identity and literature

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Sprawl of Kalevala in Finnish Arts

• From the literary text to
• Symphonic, opera, Classical Music (Sibelius,
  Rautavaara)
• Visual Arts painting (Gallen-Kallela),
  sculpture, architecture, comics
• Military propaganda in the Winter and
  Continuation Wars
• Jazz, rock and Contemporary folk music
  (Värttinä, Gjallarhorn)
• Media and advertizing (Sampo)
• Multimedia art, Modern Dance Kimmo Pohjonen,
  Tero Saarinen
• Again we have complete redefinitions of the
  signification of the Finnish Folk poetry using
  differents codes and languages

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Akseli Gallén-Kallela
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Akseli Gallén-Kallela
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Akseli Gallen-Kallela

• Axél Waldemar Gallén 1865 - 1931

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Akseli Gallén-Kallela Paanajärven paimenpoika
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Akseli Gallén-Kallela Imatra
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Akseli Gallén-Kallela Akka ja kissa, 1885
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Akseli Gallén-Kallela Tyttö ja kukko
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Tamara Grigorieva JufaRunopevcy, 1965.
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Akseli Gallén-Kallela. Ad Astra, 1915. Astra
cosmic Ilmatar?
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Akseli Gallén-Kallela Ilmatar
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman Ilmatar
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Joseph Alanen Ilmatar
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Helsinki - Ilmatar ja sotka (Ilmatar and the
Scaup) by Aarre Aaltonen, 1946 
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman Väinämöinen luo valon,
1859. Väinämöinen creates light
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman Väinämöinen and Sampsa
Pellervoinen
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R.W.EkmanVäinämöisen soitto, 1858/1859
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman (1808-1873)Väinämöisen
soitto
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Väinämöisen soitto. 1866
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Väinämöinen Väänänen
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VÄINÄMÖISEN KASVOT
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Väinö - Dog
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Tamara Grigorieva Jufa Vjajnjamejnen pokazyvaet
ubitogo medvedja, 1969.
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Pekka Halonen (1813-1882)Väinämöisen soitto.
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Joseph AlanenThe origins of iron
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Joseph AlanenJoukahainen and Väinämöinen
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Robert Wilhelm EkmanJoukahainen won by
Väinämöinen
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Akseli Gallén-KallelaAino-taru triptyykki,
1889/91. Aino
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Kalevala 2001
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Sigfrid August Keinänen Väinämöinen ja Aino,
1898 Aino meren rannalla, 1876
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Johannes Takanen (1849-1885)Aino merelle
katsova, 1876.
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Tamara Grigorieva Jufa Ajno, 1965.
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Tamara Grigorieva Jufa Mat' Ajno, 1963.
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman Kanerva, Pohjolas daughter
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Tamara Grigorieva Jufa Pochuela, 1962. Louhi and
Kanerva
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Tamara Grigorieva JufaNevesta Pochuely, 1963.
Kanerva
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Tamara Grigorieva JufaLemminkjajnen v Pochuele,
1963. Lemminkäinen at Pohjola
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Joseph Alanen Lemminkäinen and the giant snake
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman Lemminkäinen tulisella
joella, 1866. Lemminkäinen at the fire river
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman Lemminkäisen surma,
1860.The death of Lemminkäinen
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Lemminkäinen, 1899.
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Tuonela
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Tamara Grigorieva JufaTuonel'skij lebed', 1973.
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman (1808-1873),The mother of
Lemminkäinen
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The mother of Lemminkäinen
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Tamara Grigorieva JufaMat' Lemminkjajnena, 1970.
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman Ilmarisen lento Pohjolaan.
1860.Ilmarinen flies to Pohjola
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Ilmarinen kyntää kyisen pellon, 1899. Ilmarinen
and the snakes
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Berndt Abraham Godenhjelm (1799-1881)Ilmarinen
forging the Sampo
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Robert Wilhelm Ekman (1808-1873)Ilmarinen
forging the sampo, 1875
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Akseli Gallén-Kallela Sammon taonta, 1893.
Forging the Sampo
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Väinö Blomstedt (1871-1947)Sammon taonta, 1898.
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Ilmarinen forging the Sampo (Joseph Alanen)
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Tamara Grigorieva JufaKaleval'cy edut za Sampo,
1962 The heroes of Kalevala are going to take
back the sampo
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Sammon Ryöstö, 1905. Stealing the Sampo
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Gallen-Kallela Sammon puolustus, 1896. The
defence of the Sampo
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Disneys Kalevala
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Louhi Kalevala dellarte