Tuonela is a commissioned work inspired by Finnish mythology and the realm of the dead that bears the same name. In Finnish folklore, Tuonela is the place to which every soul must journey after death: a silent and inhospitable realm, separated from the world of the living by a dark river.
The work closely follows the earliest accounts of the myth. On the riverbank lies the dead swan, guardian of the entrance to the realm of the dead. Beyond it stands Tuoni, the ruler of Tuonela, portrayed as he is described in several ancient sources: gaunt, almost skeletal, more shadow than man. Above the landscape, the souls of the dead drift towards their final resting place, like silent lights across the sky.
Despite Tuonela's central place in Finnish mythology, there are remarkably few, if any, artistic depictions that attempt to portray the realm as it is described in the earliest sources. This work is therefore more than an illustration of a myth. It is a visual interpretation of a landscape that has, for the most part, existed only in words.
The aim has been to remain faithful to the original sources while allowing the work to establish its own atmosphere. The result is a meeting of history, symbolism, and imagination. A journey to a place whose name many recognise, yet few have ever truly imagined.