Something Finnish is big in Japan?
Supposedly, yes.
The Moomins, which is a collection of stories by author and artist Tove Jansson, who drew her first character of the set as a teen in the 1930s. Moomins are everywhere in Finland and are considered a national treasure. Though it is only after over two decades in Finland, that I started appreciating them at all, and that is because I read one of the books of short stories to my daughter recently, and discovered, that they are quite profound and beautifully written. Prior to this, I had only seen some of the cartoons (in Finnish) and listened to the annoying Finnish voices of the characters. Reading the books to my daughter however, slowed it all down, and started to build the world for me.
I will read more to my daughter, for both her and I to enjoy.
The museum has been in the city of Tampere at the concert hall for a few years now, and is visited by many Finns, but also many Japanese. I think that the original cartoons were animated in Japan, and they have made an impact on their culture too. However, the museum is filled with stories of Jansson's life and examples of her art, which again, I didn't fully appreciate earlier.
I think that some of the pen sketches themselves have flavours of traditional Japanese art, but Jansson also painted and sculpted, and she and her partner (a graphic designer) also created tableaus together. The images I have added here are some of the collection of drawings and the tableaus on display.
The style of drawing I think is what has surprised me, because they are very simple, yet there is a massive amount of emotion transmitted through them. They capture the essence of Finnish culture perhaps, where there is a trust in the world and happiness with the simple life, but also an underlying sadness, always just a step from despair.
The stories themselves are quite amazing and even could be considered epic, considering the range they cover, the character depth, and the lore of the world that has been created. There are no humans as far as I can tell in this world, they are all creatures, similar to some we know, but never quite the same. It is almost like a slight dimensional shift, but they are incredibly relatable, because the characters and situations they face reflect our own. For those with children, I really recommend ordering some of these books and reading them together. And, while I haven't read any, Jansson also wrote some books for adults too, and I would be interested to discover what insight they bring.
Tove Jansson is worth reading about. She seems to have led an interesting life in many respects, and contributed in many ways, but looking through her work, it is clear that she was a natural artist. I think she would have been an incredibly interesting person to have a philosophical discussion with.
The museum is relatively small, but it is worth the visit if in the city of Tampere and, a must go for anyone who is into the Moomin stories. I have been a couple times earlier, and every time I have been there there are Japanese tourists who have made the trip to Finland specifically to see Moomin content. Which is surprising.
As said, I am not a fan of the commercialised view of these characters, but I think that once all of that has been stripped away, there is a beauty in the stories and the world created. Perhaps it is partly because I have been in the country for so long now, that I can relate to a lot of the world they live, and the complex circumstances they find themselves in. Yet, they look at life with a simplicity and openness, a fearlessness that I don't possess myself.
But perhaps if I read more of the stories, I will discover how to be a little more Moomin.
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
[//]:# ([//]:# (!worldmappin 61.49595 lat 23.78134 long Moomin Museum, Tampere, Finland d3scr))
That is pretty cool. I have never heard of these characters before, but that isn't surprising given the distance. I like pieces like this where you can enjoy them as a child and then you realize as you get older that there was a whole different level to them. Even if it is just a joke that you need to be a little older to understand the full meaning.
This is what I am hoping for Smallsteps later. She can reread them by herself and get more out of it.
We started the Disc world series, but the language was far too hard for Smallsteps to grasp. I thought they were for kids, but the jokes in there and the language I would have struggled with even older than her, with English as a mother tongue!
Something you can come back to eventually though, so that is good.
Very interesting, never heard of Moomins before...
Worth a read :)
In the 1980s I watched Soviet cartoons about the Moomins. I liked these stories.
Yeah, I am guessing they were translated into Russian, as well as other languages. Funny thing is, Jansson was born when Finland was still under Russian rule :)
The drawings look quite simple. However, when looked at carefully, we can immediately notice many thoughts and feelings.
The girl standing alone painting is my favorite.
She was very good with her pen :)
The whole world could stand to be a little more Moomin. I see how some of the art would appeal to the Japanese, and as each frame of art tells it's own little story, it appeals to me as well.
Did you know of the Moomin earlier?
It is interesting, because the sketch art is quite different in tone to her paintings. She also sculpted too. Her partner was a good graphic designer also, and they collaborated a lot over their 50 year relationship. They of course, could never marry at that time :)
No, not personally, but I had heard of it from a friend with a small daughter.
Berserk is my favorite manga and probably favorite books ever. Part of me wishes that I was born in Japan. Maybe then I would be mangaka(manga author) as well? I can't even imagine how much work it takes to draw something like this:
Just drawing would be one thing but to think that the same person has to create a story as well is insane. No wonder that Miura(mangaka of Berserk) died before he could finish it. I am not into american comics and prefer manga. But for some reason I thought that comics are only created in america and manga in Japan. So it is nice to see something similar from Finland as well.
These are not manga, but are illustrations created for the novels she wrote. However, she also created satirical comics for a couple decades for a magazine.
One of the most famous is from 1938:
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Japanese artwork is often highly unique