Television review Kari Suomalainen created a side path to Finnishized Finland, which gave way to laughter and self-irony – The cartoonist created a diverse portrait

Culture|Television review

Popular Cold War Finland series is supplemented by a documentary whose protagonist is a cartoonist Kari Suomalainen (1920–1999). The documentary production company Intervisio is the same as the Yle series and is directed by the producer Antti Seppänen.

The drawings of a Finn are an integral part of Finnish recent history and our own self-understanding, so they also appear in the series. Without Kari Suomalainen, the time for Finnishization would look just grim; he created an alternative side path that gave way to laughter and self-irony.

Karin the Finns -document is made simply, you could say with a few strokes. Even there are only three interviewees: a biographer, a cartoonist Jyrki Vainio, Director of the Visavuori Museum Pälvi Mill and the daughter of Kari Suomalainen Lilli Earl. Yes, a varied picture emerges from their speeches, especially when it is supplemented by Kari Suomalainen’s own interviews.

The representative of Helsingin Sanomat, Finland’s longest-standing employer, is missing from the group, which is a bit unfortunate. Former editor-in-chief Janne Virkkunen or some other contemporary would have brought their own addition to the picture.

Sculptor Emil Wikström the boy was already a promising painter, but as the Finn himself aptly said, there were already enough good painters but few good cartoonists. It is clear from the documentary how talented and self-aware he was when he was young.

The career of a cartoonist began in the 1950s, so the Finn had time to follow Urho Kekkonen rise to power. The Finn strongly opposed him, but the bustling-looking character became the cornerstone of his daily drawings, and Kekkonen had to get used to it. The Finn also came up with the idea of ​​creating personalities for the parties and a self-portrait.

Another important plot was the depiction of urbanization, and Kari drew lovable standard characters for both Helsinki’s parks and rural villages.

Age Kari Suomalainen did as many people did. Accurate, humane observations turned into a rigid narrow-mindedness. The Finn was kicked out of Hesar because of racist drawings, but the interviewees in the documentary say that the escalation of the situation offered him a good reason to withdraw.

In the documentary, Suomalainen’s drawings flash too quickly, because it would only make sense to calm down. Some of the drawings are nicely animated.

Pälvi Myllylä emphasizes Finland’s verbal talent and highlights one of the most well-known drawings that fits into the Korona era like a knock.

In it, the familiar eukko sits by the window and thinks:

Karin’s Finns, Theme at 9 pm and Yle Areena.