Viktor Jansson

01

A STORM-LOVING FATHER

“My father was a melancholy man but when a storm threatened he became a different person, cheerful, entertaining and ready to join his children in dangerous adventures.”

“My father was a melancholy man but when a storm threatened he became a different person, cheerful, entertaining and ready to join his children in dangerous adventures.” This is Tove Jansson’s description of her father, the sculptor Viktor Jansson. These adventures might be foraging for mushrooms deep in the forest or watching fires in the middle of the night. As it says in her autobiographically inspired novel Sculptor’s Daughter (1968): “He always woke us up and we heard the fire engine clanging, there was always a great rush and we ran through completely empty streets.”

Jansson’s storm-loving father, whose studio was filled with sculptures big and small, was a multi-faceted man. He protected animals such as seagulls, squirrels, crows, bats and marmots, he played the accordion, guitar and balalaika, and he partied all night with his circle of male artist companions. However, he was deeply traumatised by his horrific experiences of fighting on the front line for the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, in the spring and winter of 1918. In January 1928, war broke out between the Reds, largely consisting of working-class socialists, and the Whites, who were mainly the conservative middle class under the leadership of the Finnish Senate. He ran across open battlefields to retrieve ammunition under heavy fire. Hours before his first battle, he wrote to his wife:

“My dear little Signe. Your husband is about to go into battle. God help us and our weapons. Perhaps I shall never see you again.”

Viktor Jansson’s traumatic wartime experiences affected his family in various ways and found their way into Tove’s childhood memoir Sculptor’s Daughter. Memories could be suppressed during the day, but came spilling out during nocturnal celebrations. “Then Daddy goes and fetches his bayonet which hangs above the sacks of plaster in the studio and everybody jumps up and shouts and Daddy attacks the chair. During the day it is covered with a rug so that you can’t see what it looks like.”

Viktor Jansson soldier — Viktor Jansson took part in the Finnish civil war in 1918 on the side of the whites

Viktor Jansson took part in the Finnish civil war in 1918 on the side of the whites

“My father was a melancholy man but when a storm threatened he became a different person, cheerful, entertaining and ready to join his children in dangerous adventures.”

This is Tove Jansson’s description of her father, the sculptor Viktor Jansson. These adventures might be foraging for mushrooms deep in the forest or watching fires in the middle of the night. As it says in her autobiographically inspired novel Sculptor’s Daughter (1968): “He always woke us up and we heard the fire engine clanging, there was always a great rush and we ran through completely empty streets.”

Jansson’s storm-loving father, whose studio was filled with sculptures big and small, was a multi-faceted man. He protected animals such as seagulls, squirrels, crows, bats and marmots, he played the accordion, guitar and balalaika, and he partied all night with his circle of male artist companions. However, he was deeply traumatised by his horrific experiences of fighting on the front line for the Whites in the Finnish Civil War, in the spring and winter of 1918. In January 1928, war broke out between the Reds, largely consisting of working-class socialists, and the Whites, who were mainly the conservative middle class under the leadership of the Finnish Senate. He ran across open battlefields to retrieve ammunition under heavy fire. Hours before his first battle, he wrote to his wife:

“My dear little Signe. Your husband is about to go into battle. God help us and our weapons. Perhaps I shall never see you again.”

Viktor Jansson’s traumatic wartime experiences affected his family in various ways and found their way into Tove’s childhood memoir Sculptor’s Daughter. Memories could be suppressed during the day, but came spilling out during nocturnal celebrations. “Then Daddy goes and fetches his bayonet which hangs above the sacks of plaster in the studio and everybody jumps up and shouts and Daddy attacks the chair. During the day it is covered with a rug so that you can’t see what it looks like.”

02

OPPONENT OF TRADITIONAL TEACHING AT ART SCHOOLS

Viktor Jansson was no daydreamer. He was the black sheep of his family.

The sculptor Viktor Jansson (1886-1958) was born in Helsinki. His father, Julius Viktor Jansson, had a ‘small goods store’ (a shop that mainly sold sewing accessories and underwear), which his mother Johanna Jansson (née Karlsson) took over after he died, when Viktor was only six years old. She was an enterprising woman who had studied business and was able to support her family. Viktor had several siblings but only one, his brother Julius, survived. Viktor’s twin sister died as an infant. As a youth, Viktor Jansson acquired the nickname Faffan, which was said to have come about during a gymnastics lesson at school when Viktor was snapped out of his daydreams by the teacher shouting at him not to stand there like a fafa i.e. granddad. It later transformed into Faffan.

But Viktor Jansson was no daydreamer. He was the black sheep of his family, something he had in common with his future wife Signe Hammarsten. After attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki 1903-1905, he spent some time studying under the well-known sculptor Robert Stigell, who became something of a father figure. Early on, Viktor Jansson cultivated a rebellious attitude and railed against the traditional teaching of art schools. For a while he ran a free artists’ academy with some colleagues, including Marcus Collin. At his first exhibition in Helsinki in 1911, Viktor Jansson caused a great stir with the boldly erotic ‘Twilight’ and ‘Passion’, which went down in art history as “scandalous breakthroughs.” He exhibited twelve sculptures, including the plaster figure of a naked athlete prepared for battle, ‘Ready’, which many critics consider to be his best work. A couple of years later it was cast in granite and erected at a hospital in Helsinki.

During one of his study trips to Paris in the early 1910s, Viktor Jansson fell in love with Swedish art student Signe Hammarsten, and they married in the summer of 1913. The wedding was officiated by Signe’s father at the Hammarsten family’s country residence on Blidö in the Swedish archipelago. The newly-weds moved into a studio in Montparnasse, Paris. In April 1914, when Signe was pregnant with Tove, the couple came back to Helsinki and moved into a studio apartment at Lotsgatan 4.

Viktor Jansson was no daydreamer. He was the black sheep of his family.

The sculptor Viktor Jansson (1886-1958) was born in Helsinki. His father, Julius Viktor Jansson, had a ‘small goods store’ (a shop that mainly sold sewing accessories and underwear), which his mother Johanna Jansson (née Karlsson) took over after he died, when Viktor was only six years old. She was an enterprising woman who had studied business and was able to support her family. Viktor had several siblings but only one, his brother Julius, survived. Viktor’s twin sister died as an infant. As a youth, Viktor Jansson acquired the nickname Faffan, which was said to have come about during a gymnastics lesson at school when Viktor was snapped out of his daydreams by the teacher shouting at him not to stand there like a fafa i.e. granddad. It later transformed into Faffan.

But Viktor Jansson was no daydreamer. He was the black sheep of his family, something he had in common with his future wife Signe Hammarsten. After attending the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki 1903-1905, he spent some time studying under the well-known sculptor Robert Stigell, who became something of a father figure. Early on, Viktor Jansson cultivated a rebellious attitude and railed against the traditional teaching of art schools. For a while he ran a free artists’ academy with some colleagues, including Marcus Collin. At his first exhibition in Helsinki in 1911, Viktor Jansson caused a great stir with the boldly erotic ‘Twilight’ and ‘Passion’, which went down in art history as “scandalous breakthroughs.” He exhibited twelve sculptures, including the plaster figure of a naked athlete prepared for battle, ‘Ready’, which many critics consider to be his best work. A couple of years later it was cast in granite and erected at a hospital in Helsinki.

During one of his study trips to Paris in the early 1910s, Viktor Jansson fell in love with Swedish art student Signe Hammarsten, and they married in the summer of 1913. The wedding was officiated by Signe’s father at the Hammarsten family’s country residence on Blidö in the Swedish archipelago. The newly-weds moved into a studio in Montparnasse, Paris. In April 1914, when Signe was pregnant with Tove, the couple came back to Helsinki and moved into a studio apartment at Lotsgatan 4.

03

A SCULPTOR'S CAREER FULL OF COMPETITIONS, TRIUMPHS AND DISAPPOINTMENTS

Monuments were vital for Viktor Jansson and other sculptors at the time (with many being commissioned to commemorate the wars) and the competitions provided opportunities for income.

Viktor Jansson was a hard-working professional, but also enjoyed a wild party, and described himself as part of the (male) artists’ community. People who frequented the sculpture’s studio included artist Tyko Sallinen – a leading name in Finnish expressionism – and artists Marcus Collin and Jalmari Rukokoski. Viktor Jansson’s closest friend was painter Alvar Cawén, known as Cawan. Like the others, he was part of the November Group which brought together expressionist-oriented artists. Faffan and Cawan were born in the same year, trained together at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, and lived together in Paris in the early 1910s. They shared a special affinity that was hugely significant for both of them. Cawan was a frequent guest of the Jansson family and when he died suddenly in 1935, it was a huge loss to them all. In her diary, 23-year-old Tove writes:

“Daddy was devastated. We were all infinitely sad.”

Viktor Jansson was a central figure in artists’ circles and organisations. His artistic life included competitions, prizes won and lost, triumphs and disappointments. This also affected the family. Prizes entailed great celebrations. When prizes were expected but not awarded – as for his monument in Vaasa (1935) – his daughter noted that the newspapers gave him a “stately revenge”. Monuments were vital for Viktor Jansson and other sculptors at the time (with many being commissioned to commemorate the wars) and the competitions provided opportunities for income. But there were many aspects to his art. He was known for his fountain sculptures, several of which can still be seen in Helsinki today, depicting figures of children and mermaids. Viktor Jansson was professionally active for 50 years, in which time he produced approximately 230 pieces.

His studio was characterised by female figures, small sculptures of children and cherubs in various forms. It was an artistic departure from monuments to a softer style. The smaller sculptures transformed hard materials into tender openness, inviting the viewer to look beyond the sculptural surface. Many were playful and captured moments and movement, with names like ‘Hello’, ‘Game’ and ‘Knock-out’. The family also played a part in Viktor Jansson’s artistic expression. Ham and young Tove were often models. Tove was the basis for one of his mermaids and an award-winning proposed memorial to writer Zacharias Topelius, called ‘Spring’ (1930). “To Tove from Dad” is written on a photograph of the sculpture. Tove’s brother Per Olov also posed for this father. Ham took a course in plaster casting and collaborated with Faffan as a matter of course. As time went on, Ham added her name to the pieces and sometimes even improved them, for example by re-sculpting a botched hand.

Viktor Jansson Alvar Cawen — Viktor Jansson with guitar together with his friend Alvar Cawén

Viktor Jansson with guitar together with his friend Alvar Cawén

Tove Jansson's father Viktor Jansson — Viktor Jansson in his studio with his assistant.

Viktor Jansson in his studio with his assistant.

Monuments were vital for Viktor Jansson and other sculptors at the time (with many being commissioned to commemorate the wars) and the competitions provided opportunities for income.

Viktor Jansson was a hard-working professional, but also enjoyed a wild party, and described himself as part of the (male) artists’ community. People who frequented the sculpture’s studio included artist Tyko Sallinen – a leading name in Finnish expressionism – and artists Marcus Collin and Jalmari Rukokoski. Viktor Jansson’s closest friend was painter Alvar Cawén, known as Cawan. Like the others, he was part of the November Group which brought together expressionist-oriented artists. Faffan and Cawan were born in the same year, trained together at the Academy of Fine Arts in Helsinki, and lived together in Paris in the early 1910s. They shared a special affinity that was hugely significant for both of them. Cawan was a frequent guest of the Jansson family and when he died suddenly in 1935, it was a huge loss to them all. In her diary, 23-year-old Tove writes:

“Daddy was devastated. We were all infinitely sad.”

Viktor Jansson was a central figure in artists’ circles and organisations. His artistic life included competitions, prizes won and lost, triumphs and disappointments. This also affected the family. Prizes entailed great celebrations. When prizes were expected but not awarded – as for his monument in Vaasa (1935) – his daughter noted that the newspapers gave him a “stately revenge”. Monuments were vital for Viktor Jansson and other sculptors at the time (with many being commissioned to commemorate the wars) and the competitions provided opportunities for income. But there were many aspects to his art. He was known for his fountain sculptures, several of which can still be seen in Helsinki today, depicting figures of children and mermaids. Viktor Jansson was professionally active for 50 years, in which time he produced approximately 230 pieces.

His studio was characterised by female figures, small sculptures of children and cherubs in various forms. It was an artistic departure from monuments to a softer style. The smaller sculptures transformed hard materials into tender openness, inviting the viewer to look beyond the sculptural surface. Many were playful and captured moments and movement, with names like ‘Hello’, ‘Game’ and ‘Knock-out’. The family also played a part in Viktor Jansson’s artistic expression. Ham and young Tove were often models. Tove was the basis for one of his mermaids and an award-winning proposed memorial to writer Zacharias Topelius, called ‘Spring’ (1930). “To Tove from Dad” is written on a photograph of the sculpture. Tove’s brother Per Olov also posed for this father. Ham took a course in plaster casting and collaborated with Faffan as a matter of course. As time went on, Ham added her name to the pieces and sometimes even improved them, for example by re-sculpting a botched hand.

04

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAFFAN FOR TOVE JANSSON'S ARTISTIC CAREER

“Maybe we’ll have a great artist in Tove one day. A really great one!” Faffan wrote to Ham from the front lines of the civil war in the spring and winter of 1918.

The significance of Viktor Jansson in Tove Jansson’s artwork evolved during her painting studies in Helsinki and Paris during the 1930s. He praised her talent and suggested that she study under artist Sam Vanni. Father and daughter shared a few weeks in Paris in late spring 1938. In his letters, Faffan described his bond with his daughter and all the joys that his family, his “strongest asset”, brought him. He described Tove as his “best friend” and praised her painting and artistic development. Father and daughter enjoyed the Parisian nightlife, visited museums and wandered the streets of Montparnasse, where Faffan and Ham had lived 25 years earlier.

“How I love Dad,” Tove wrote to her mother at the time.

During the Second World War, their relationship changed. They differed in their opinions on the war, Finland’s position and unification with Germany. Faffan’s desire for authority, his political rigidity and commitment to the values of the war he had once fought for became hurtful to his daughter. Their political quarrels led to fall-outs and declarations of hatred, which created a deep rift between them and took time to heal. But respect for each other’s artistry was never questioned. No one was more upset than Faffan when, in the 1950s, Tove Jansson was accused of having stolen the idea for Moomintroll from a Swedish artist. Tove commented that his outrage would have been more appropriate in response to an accusation of murder. That was Faffan and his relationship with art in a nutshell.

A moving letter from Tove to her father the year before he died shows another kind of closeness, an understanding that always existed between them and deepened over the years. Faffan greeted Tove and Tooti and thanked them for a wonderful stay on their island. “Dear Faffan,” says Tove’s reply: “I think I understand you better than you ever imagined. All I can say is that I love you terribly, more so with each passing year.” When she wrote Moominpappa at Sea (1965) several years later, she thought for a long time about dedicating the book to her father, but decided instead to dedicate it to “a father”, without specifying. Three years later she published The Sculptor’s Daughter.

Art and family were sacred to Viktor Jansson. This followed the sculptor’s daughter throughout her life. “Maybe we’ll have a great artist in Tove one day. A really great one!” Faffan wrote to Ham from the front lines of the civil war in the spring and winter of 1918. He was right.

Text: Boel Westin

Viktor Jansson monkey — Viktor Jansson with a monkey, Poppolino, in his lap.

Viktor Jansson with a monkey, Poppolino, in his lap.

Viktor Jansson pipe — Viktor Jansson at sea

“Maybe we’ll have a great artist in Tove one day. A really great one!” Faffan wrote to Ham from the front lines of the civil war in the spring and winter of 1918.

The significance of Viktor Jansson in Tove Jansson’s artwork evolved during her painting studies in Helsinki and Paris during the 1930s. He praised her talent and suggested that she study under artist Sam Vanni. Father and daughter shared a few weeks in Paris in late spring 1938. In his letters, Faffan described his bond with his daughter and all the joys that his family, his “strongest asset”, brought him. He described Tove as his “best friend” and praised her painting and artistic development. Father and daughter enjoyed the Parisian nightlife, visited museums and wandered the streets of Montparnasse, where Faffan and Ham had lived 25 years earlier.

“How I love Dad,” Tove wrote to her mother at the time.

During the Second World War, their relationship changed. They differed in their opinions on the war, Finland’s position and unification with Germany. Faffan’s desire for authority, his political rigidity and commitment to the values of the war he had once fought for became hurtful to his daughter. Their political quarrels led to fall-outs and declarations of hatred, which created a deep rift between them and took time to heal. But respect for each other’s artistry was never questioned. No one was more upset than Faffan when, in the 1950s, Tove Jansson was accused of having stolen the idea for Moomintroll from a Swedish artist. Tove commented that his outrage would have been more appropriate in response to an accusation of murder. That was Faffan and his relationship with art in a nutshell.

A moving letter from Tove to her father the year before he died shows another kind of closeness, an understanding that always existed between them and deepened over the years. Faffan greeted Tove and Tooti and thanked them for a wonderful stay on their island. “Dear Faffan,” says Tove’s reply: “I think I understand you better than you ever imagined. All I can say is that I love you terribly, more so with each passing year.” When she wrote Moominpappa at Sea (1965) several years later, she thought for a long time about dedicating the book to her father, but decided instead to dedicate it to “a father”, without specifying. Three years later she published The Sculptor’s Daughter.

Art and family were sacred to Viktor Jansson. This followed the sculptor’s daughter throughout her life. “Maybe we’ll have a great artist in Tove one day. A really great one!” Faffan wrote to Ham from the front lines of the civil war in the spring and winter of 1918. He was right.

Text: Boel Westin

A STORM-LOVING FATHER

OPPONENT OF TRADITIONAL TEACHING AT ART SCHOOLS

A SCULPTOR'S CAREER FULL OF COMPETITIONS, TRIUMPHS AND DISAPPOINTMENTS

THE IMPORTANCE OF FAFFAN FOR TOVE JANSSON'S ARTISTIC CAREER

OTHER PEOPLE

Signe Hammarsten Jansson

Tuulikki Pietilä

Atos Wirtanen