MARIGINS, MINORITIES AND THE OTHER IN FINNISH ART
WHAT LEAD INTO THE FOREIGN LAND?
Trade, warfare and archeological findings
 Swedish East India Company was founded 1731
 Napoleon, Egyptian expedition 1798-1801
 Russo - Turkish war 1877-1878
 Greco - Turkish war 1897
 Russo - Japanese war 1904-1905
 Algeria and Morocco became French procurates in 1893 and 1912
 The grave of Tutankhamen was found in Egypt 1922
Ethnographic studies, missionary work, tourism
 Anthropology – physical anthropology, study of racial aspects
 Ethnography - looking for authenticity and native cultures
 Linguistics – stydying related languages
 Geography
 Soldiers, officers - mapping
 Missionaries - philanthropy
 Romantics - writers, poets, artists, adventurers
ORIENTALISM and THE EXOTIC OTHER: TOURISM, FOREIGN GAZE AND ENTERTAINMENT
the Ottoman empire (1299-1923) and North Africa
Gunnar Berndtson (1854-1895), Egypt 1882
* Almée, egyptian dance, 1883, 45x37, Ateneum
Antti Favé n (1882-1948)
* Belly dancer, 1903, 73x73, Ateneum
Compare with f.ex.
Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres (1780-1867, France)
Jean-Lé on Gé rô me (1824-1904, France)
Other Finnish Artists visiting or staying in North Africa or Istanbul
Marcus Collin (1882-1966)
Birger Carlstedt (1907-1975), Morocco 1938
* Two Moroccan Women with Drums, 1938
Hugo Backmansson (1860-1953), North Africa 1898, 1906-1907, late 1910s, 1939
* Man from Tanger, 1909
Harald Gallén (1880-1931)
Oscar Parviainen (1880-1938), Algeria and Tunisia 1904, 1926-27
* Arabs in front of a Café in Biskra, 1904, etching, 30x53
COLONIALISM and POLITICS OF POWER
The African and Asian continents
Akseli Gallen-Kallela (1865-1931), British East Africa (now Kenya) 1909; Taos New Mexico 1923
* Kifaru (Rhino)
* Mount Kenia, 1914, 30x33
* After the Hunt, Mannerheim-museo
Hugo Backmansson (1860-1953) battle painter in Russo – Turkish war 1877 and in Russo – Japanese
war 1904-1905
* Manchurian people, 1905
THE FASCINATING, BEAUTIFUL, UGLY, ENCHANTING, REPULSIVE, STRANGE, EROTIC AND
EXOTIC OTHER
After the First World War Africa in Europe meant f.ex. boxing, jazz, dancers like Joséphine
Baker, Baby Scrugg
Birger Carlstedt (1907-1975), Morocco 1938
* A Moroccan Woman with Drum, 1938
Michael Schilkin (1900-1962)
* Sculptures of African Women in chamotte, 1940s
Rudolf Koivu (1890-1946)
* Illustrations for fairy tales, f.ex. the Arabian Nights
MINORITIES IN FINLAND
SWEDISH-SPEAKING POPULATION
• 291 000 (5,4 % of the population), especially in the Coastal Area & Ahvenanmaa (28 000)
 Look for paintings by artists like Karl Emanuel Jansson, Arvid Liljelund, Albert Edelfelt
RUSSIAN-SPEAKING POPULATION
• The old Russian-speaking minority from 18th Century and the new immigrants, c. 50 000
 To name only a few artists in the early 20th Cenruty with a Russian family background: Marina
Akutin (Schuvalova), Nikolai Belij, Cathérine Boman-Kolomijzova, Michael Schilkin, Nikolai
Silfverberg (Jakowlev), Mikael Stanowsky, Vladimir Swertschkoff, Georges von Swetlik, Nikolai
Tscherbakoff (Tervakorpi), Sergei Wlasoff
 Also music, theatre, opera, film, scenography (in the early 20th Century f.ex. Sylvester
Weseloff, ”Wolle” Wladimir Weiner)
THE ROMANI PEOPLE
• 10 – 15 million in Europe, 10 000 in Finland
• In the 19th Century c. 1 500. Now 10 000
• The Romani People originate in India. First Romani people came to Finland during the 16th
Century
• In 19th Century they were called the ”ill-bred idles” and in 1860s some Hungarian and Serbian
Romani People roamed in Finland
• Romani language
• Handicraft and manual labour, horse breeding and harness racing, music
• Look for paintings look by artists like Yrjö Saarinen, Jalmari Ruokokoski, Olavi Laine, Marcus
Collin
• Due to the shortcomings in education for many generations romani artists ands writers like
Kiba Lumberg or Veijo Baltzar are few. Instead musicians and singers are numerous and many
of them are widely popular & admired
TATARS
• The oldest Muslim minority in Scandinavia. Today 800 Tatars and 50 000 – 60 000 Muslims
(most of them immigrants in first, second or third generation)
• Turkish-related Tatars originate in Nizhni Novgorod, Tatarstan (Kazan) and the Volga river
area
• They came to Finland as soldiers of the Russian army and merchants (1870-1920). The first
Tatar merchants came to Finland 200 years ago
• The first Islam congregation was founded by the Tatars in 1925
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Tatar artists are few in number, but interestingly several in the sports like football, boxing, ice
hockey
Tatars are rarely pictured in Finnish art, look for artists like Helene Schjerfbeck during her stay
in Hyvinkää
Muslim identity in Finland has been studied in art by f.ex. Rosa Liksom
JEWS
• 1 500 jewish people in Finland today
• One of the oldest ethnic minorities in Finland. First jewish family settled in the city of Hamina
1799/1782
• Swedish law prohibited jews to settle in Finnish territory. Same law was applied during the
Finnish autonomy (1809-1917)
• Yet, during the autonomy Russian Jews established themselves in Finland as tradesmen and
craftsmen and soldiers of the Russian army
• After Finland declared its independence (1917) Jews were granted full rights as citizens
(1918)
• Tatars are rarely pictured in Finnish art. Look for artists like Albert Edelfelt, Helene
Schjerfbeck
SOME OF FIRST REMARKABLE FINNS ON THE FOREIGN SOIL
• Colonel of the Russian army C. G. Mannerheim: Central Asia
• Linguists Kai Donner: Siberia and G. J. Ramstedt: Mongolia
• Missionary Hilja Heiskanen: Himalaya
• Wife of a Sea captain Saga Roos: River Kongo
• Ethnographist Helmi Helminen: East Karelia
• Anthropologists Edvard Westermarck: Morocco; Gunnar Lantdman: Papua-New-Guinea; Rafael
Karsten: Ecuador
• Ethnographists A. O. Heikel and U. T. Sirelius: The Fenno-Ugrian People, Siberia
• Arhaeologist, explorer Gustaf Nordenskiöld: Mesa Verde USA
• Governor-general Adolf Etholén: Alaska
• Sea captain Peter Böckelman: China
Today Matti Pärssinen with his group has made interesting fieldwork and scientific study in the
Amazonas