Risto Suomi - All Along the Watchtower

Risto Suomi (b. 1951, Helsinki) is primarily known as a painter and printmaker. In the early part of his career, he focused particularly on Finnish mythology, and nature also plays a central role in his paintings. Swans, horses, and especially hares are recurring motifs in Finnish art. Nature and everyday life merge with mythology, while the artist also incorporates basic graphic symbols, such as the heart. Realism and surrealism, complete with dreamlike imagery, intermingle, and time seems to stand still. The mood of the paintings is melancholic, occasionally softened with gentle irony.