Vladimir Fomin: Aino
Visited Akseli Gallen-Kallela's house and was amazed by his drawing for the Kelevala. I think it was his ambition to produce an illuminated Kalevala to rival the Book of Kells He relates that as a young child, an old man came to the door of his house, with woven birch shoes on his feet and a birch rucksack on his back. He proceeded to sing softly at first and then gradually with more power and strength until his voice was shaking with emotion, his feet beating time on the floor. At this early age he understood he was hearing a song from the Kalevala which was passed on through the oral tradition, and his soul was captivated by poetry.
In his house certain runes from the Kalevala are illustrated... mostly naked young women floating on their backs in the water with their hair splayed out like seaweed. I think he had a thing about long hair.
The Kalevala has Väinämöinen singing a boat into existance so he can persue and young girl who is trying to escape from him. This reminds me of the Silmarillion where it is said that God sung the worlds into existance, and where the devil was expelled from heaven because he wanted to sing his own song. Tolkein who wrote the Silmarillion was a great fan of the Kalevala but perhaps both have borrowed from the gospel of John which says, in the beginning was the Word.
Now what are words but the expression of thoughts. It was when God spoke that he created the world. I wonder what God is thinking at the moment and what will happen when he speaks.
Vladimir Fomin: Who is bringing the Word
Vladimir Fomin is a Russian Artist who has done a series of paintings based on the Kalevala. They are bright and luminous in style. When I looked at them my heart popped with joy. If art can do that for you then it is good
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