Sam Vanni(Finland, 1908-1992) 'Work and Family'

'Work and Family'

Signed S. Vanni and dated 1965. Oil on canvas, 970 x 170 cm. The work is in two parts.

Wear due to age and use. Scratches. Dents. Minor stains and holes.

Provenance:
Danske Bank A/S Branch Office of Finland.

Literature:
Tuula Karjalainen, Sam Vanni, pp. 16, 42 and 45; Erik Kruskopf, Sam Vanni: Window on Europe.

More Information:
Sam Vanni’s monumental work "Work and Family" (1965) was a commissioned piece for the Postipankki savings bank office on Fredrikinkatu, Helsinki. During the 1960s, Vanni created several monumental works, of which "Work and Family" is the largest. The work was situated on the back wall of the office, behind the customer service counter. For Vanni, the idea of a dialogue between art and architecture was important, and as a spatial work, the piece was created in relation to the surrounding space.

In the work, Vanni combines figurative and non-figurative elements. In this way, the artist wanted to make the work, intended for a public space, more accessible to the bank’s customers. Work can be seen as represented by the figures of a log driver and a stonecutter on the left, while family is represented on the right by a scene of figures gathered around a television screen. Artistically, the work brings together Vanni’s abstraction, his mastery of composition, and his interest in kinetic expression during the 1960s. This is conveyed visually through the dynamic rhythm and sense of movement created by the use of colours and forms.