The Bearers of Fire Futurist Ethos of Modernity

The Bearers of Fire Futurist (? ) Ethos of Modernity in Finland in the 1920 s Ne. MLA 2010 Convention, Montreal, Canada; April 8 -11, 2010 Marja Härmänmaa, University of Helsinki

This presentation is about… � The concept of modern and modernity � The relationship between arts and national identity � The importance of the country’s history and geographical position to the arts

PART ONE

Finland - Approximately 3, 3 million inhabitants in the 1920 s - Independent in 1917

Italian Futurism in Finland � Practically unknown � For instance, very few mentions in literary history � In 1929: an essay of Olavi Paavolainen: ”The Frightened Muses” � About modern phenomena of arts and culture � One chapter dedicated to Futurism � The most important overview of Italian Futurism in Finland

Olavi Paavolainen (1903 -1964) -Writer and essayist -The Finnish ”prophet of modernism” -A leading figure of The Bearers of Fire

Futurism according to Paavolainen �A phenomenon of the modern world � Marinetti had invented ”modernolatry” in order to rescue Italy from the pressure of the past � Activism: ”serate futuriste” � Political activity, affiliation to fascism � The concept of movement in painting � Literature: use of mathematical signs and the renovation of syntax � Synthetic theatre

The achievements of Futurism according to Paavolainen � No important artistic achievements � Crucial as an ideology ◦ Expression of the new rhythm of life ◦ Aesthetic appreciation of technology and machines � Futurist iconoclasm and disdain of tradition characteristic of all modern arts � The importance of publicity for arts

Italian Futurists mentioned by Paavolainen � F. T. Marinetti � Umberto Boccioni � Gino Severini � Giacomo Balla � Carlo Carrà � Luigi Russolo � Luciano Folgore � Enrico Prampolini � Maria Ricotti (theatre) � Ivo Pannaggi � Franco Casavola � Francesco Balilla Pratella

”Machinolatry” in Finland � In 1861: Poem ”Locomotiv driver” of J. J. Wecksell ◦ the first railway was built � In 1902 -1935: writings of the architect Sigurd Frosterus ◦ about battleships, trains, airplanes… � 1920 s: The Bearers of Fire � According to Olavi Paavolainen, he started ”machinolatry” in Finland

The ”other” machine � In the so-called working class literature � Social problems caused by the modernity � Industrial workers’ condition � Problems related to urbanisation

Tulenkantajat (The Bearers of Fire) � Modernist literary movement � In 1924 a collection of young poets’ poems � 1928 -1930 the homonymous magazine � In 1930 s developed into expressionism

Mika Waltari (1908 -1979)

Katri Vala (1901 -1944)

Aaro Hellaakoski (1893 -1952) Self-portrait, 1923

The Bearers of Fire A statue in Heinola of Anja Juurikkala (b. 1923), 1987

The magazine (1928 -1930)

The ”programme” of the Bearers of Fire � No written programme � Renewal of the arts and literature with the new, European currents ◦ SOME poets adapted the free verse in poetry (Vala) ◦ SOME used visual poetry (Hellaakoski) � Arts in direct contact with the modern world ◦ Representation of the modern world ◦ But also of the countryside and nature � The creation of a new, modern Finnish identity � Against the dominant culture ◦ Roots of the Finnish identity in nature and the countryside (realism) ◦ Cult of Kalevala

Väinö Kunnas (1896 -1929) ”City” (1926)

Case study 1: A Distant Garden by Katri Vala (1924) � Vala was considered the most important modernist poet of her generation � Collection of free verse poems � No traces of modernity � Exoticism ◦ ”Taj Mahal”, ”Tahitian Serenade” � Inner feelings ◦ ”Praying”, ”Nostalgia”, ”Heart” � Nature ◦ “The Last Evening of April”, “The Flowering Land”, “The First Snow” � Modern in form; motifs from decadentism / expressionism

Case study 2: ”A Train Trip in Spring” of Hellaakoski (1928) � ”A Finnish version of futurist machinolatry” (H. K. Riikonen) � About a train trip in the countryside during the spring � Traditional verses � Three strophes � Motifs: ◦ Spring ◦ Flowers ◦ Blossoming trees

Modernity and the Bearers of Fire � New urban environment � The birth of a new, modern man ◦ And subsequent crisis of identity � Machine as a natural part of modern life ◦ airplanes, cars, trains � No social critic of industrialization

The Bearers of Fire and politics � Against communism � Against fascism ◦ although some of them were leftists ◦ in the 1920 s Italian Futurism was identified with fascism � The extreme political ISMS were oldfashioned � The only modern ISM: PAN-EUROPEANISM

PART TWO

The Soviet Union (1922 -1991)

Futurism in the USSR � Created in 1912 � Communist revolution in 1917 � (Cubo-) Futurism practically dominated the artistic life during the first years after the revolution � Subsequently replaced by social realism

Why there was no futurism in Finland? Fascism in Italy Bolshevism in the USSR

A (very) brief history of Finland � From the beginning of the 19 th century Finland was part of Russia � From the mid -19 th century onward artists and intellectuals were invited to ”invent” the Finnish national identity, based especially on Kalevala (Finnish mythology) � Independence from Russia in 1917 � Civil war between the Reds and the Whites in 1918, leading to the victory of the Whites ◦ Approximately 37, 000 casualties � In 1920 s any kind of cultural exchange with the USSR was impossible

Finnish culture in the 1920 s � First decade of independence � Contribution of the arts to building Finnish identity � Neo-classicism in architecture and in sculpture � Realism in literature -> discovering the ”roots of Finnishness”

Being ”modern” in intewar Finland � Attention to modern phenomena: ◦ technology, urbanization � No political extremism (<- civil war) � Rejection of national identity based on ethnographic traditions (Kalevala) � ”Open the windows to Europe!” (The Bearers of Fire) � To be international instead of being national

PART THREE

Estonia - Independent from 1991 - Ca 1, 3 million inhabitants in 2010

Futurism, now: � Artistic Ethnofuturism and cultural movement born in Estonia in early 1990 s � Target: search for Finno-Ugric identity � Ideology based on Finno-Ugric and Uralic myths � Opposed to Western rationality, neocolonialism, imperialism, and Christian religion � Avant-garde experiments + tradition � Use of tradition to construct an alternative identity of the future