The Artistic Renaissance in Finland Started in 1875
The Finnish Society for Arts and Crafts was founded in 1875. It was a guild-like organization whose intent was to promote the development of arts and crafts. Until then, Finnish design was functional rather than artistic or sophisticated. Finnish design was being recognized as early as the turn of the last century. Finnish pieces shown at the Paris Exhibition in 1900 competed with French Art Nouveau, German Jugendstil. and Dutch Nieuwe Kunst.
History of Glass-Making in Finland
According to Glass and Crystal, by Elka Schrijver, glass and glassblowing "were introduced at a much later date in the Scandinavian countries than in those European countries which, after four centuries of Roman occupation, had assimilated Roman civilization" and that influence is what Elka believes formed the basis for their astounding cultural achievements.
Finland always had a vital folk art tradition. In 1879, the Friends of Finnish Art and Crafts appeared on the scene, based on the Swedish example called The Society for the Promotion of Arts and Crafts, founded in 1845. At first the societies were interested in traditional arts and crafts rather than glass, but In Finland there was an almost desperate desire to throw off Russian influences (the Russification of Finland was in progress) and to develop their own national character in every sphere.
Finnish National Romanticism
By the end of the1900s, a genuine revival had taken place throughout Finland and Finnish national romanticism was born. A second Finnish artistic revival took place in 1937, especially in architecture, but this time glass making was included. Many of the ideas created in the 1930s, however, had to wait until the end of World War II to be realized. Since then, Finland has been a leader in contemporary design, whether the object is one-of-a-kind or for the mass market.
Glass from "Green Gold" Country
Finland's only valuable natural resource seems to be its forests, known as "green gold". But now even the white quartz sand from the shores of the North Sea can be classed as a valuable natural resource, for that is what is transformed into showpieces of contemporary design.
The Great Glass Companies of Finland
There are two outstanding companies that make the most of sand: Nuutajarvi Glassworks, which dates back to 1793 and Iittala, founded in 1881 for the manufacture of cheap household glass and bottles. After 1945, when the factory was completely modernized, it quickly became known as one of the most important in the world. Glass, a substance that seems almost immaterial because of its lack of colour and transparency, is perfect for abstract sculpture such as Oiva Toikka's "Lake Palace", in the Sara Hilden Art Museum in Tampere, Finland's second largest city.
The Great Glass Designers
In 1947, the world-famous glass designer Tapio Wirkkala, who was born in 1915 (and first trained as a sculptor and graphic designer) joined Iittala. He was the man behind the famous vases called Chantarelle or Mushroom, which come in three sizes. Mine is dated and signed with initials on the bottom: " 78/1983 T.W.1947" which means the first one was made in 1947. This artist is recognized as one of the world's greatest glass artists. His "ice" series is iconic. The piece illustrated here is signed "Tapio Wirkkala 1947". This great artist died in 1985.
Kaj Franck, with pieces such as the goblet shown here, designed for Arabia, a member of the Wartsila group. He was another glass artist who gained world-wide recognition. Franck died in 1989 but his work lives on in design museums. A third glass designer whose works are collectible and can be found at auctions, on e-bay, at flea markets and second-hand stores is Oiva Toikka, known for his wonderful glass birds,
And never to be forgotten is the famed Timo Sarpaneva, who was born in 1926 and lived until 2006, Sarpaneva started working at Iittala in 1950. His abstract works of art are prized world-wide.
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