Gene Kangas, Art Professor Emeritus

Finnish glass is admired worldwide for its excellence and purity of design. How did Finland achieve such a prominent status on the world stage? Apparently a unique blending of influential factors helped nurture the development of modern twentieth century design in Finland, especially glass design. It is overly simplistic and culturally biased to only view Finnish design with an isolationist's eye. Often, aesthetic successes are founded on a combination of collective circumstances.

Finland has been a cross roads of Eastern and Western ideas. It continues to be a meeting place for foreign viewpoints. Both neighboring Sweden and Russia exerted control and influence over Finland for a very long time. However, a burning desire for independence remained at the heart of Finnish culture. "We are not Swedes, and we do not wish to become Russian, so let us be Finns." Finland declared independence on December 6, 1917, making it a relatively new country. A silent emergent deep rooted seedling was about to flourish.

Independence equates to freedom, freedom to develop new ideas and cultivate old passions. Finns love nature. Most urbanites maintain close contact with the countryside during weekends and vacations. Many have getaway cottages on pristine lakes. All have a passion for the sauna. National health care and free education are available to every citizen.

A common trait shared by many Finnish designers is that of being multi–disciplinary. Most proved to be versatile artists following years of advanced education. For example, glass designers were also hired by the textile, ceramic and furniture industries to create fresh product lines. Each distinct field requires its own special method of thinking. Therefore, new lessons are constantly being learned in relation to differing perspectives on the use of color, texture, function, etc. The total inter–disciplinary experience contributes to the persistently expanding visual vocabulary of artists.

Successful factories desired to make affordable, well–designed products available to the public. It was thought that the "everyday object," a coffee cup, plate and/or water glass could and should be a beautiful object to be used and enjoyed every day. Excellent design was essential to influence daily life in a positive manner. Factories employed the best designers from many fields to encourage public use of their products as well as introducing exciting visual aesthetics. One example was the architect and furniture designer Hugo Alvar Henrik Aalto (1898–1976) who was invited to step outside of his areas of concentration to develop an original glass container. The result was his "Savoy Vase," which was entered anonymously in the 1936 Paris World's Fair. It received top honors. It remains a classic today.

Gunnel Nyman (1909–1948) was a pioneer Finnish designer and one of the first to reach out beyond the national borders with her entries in the 1933 Milan Triennial and 1937 Paris World's Fair. Her modernistic entries were awarded international prizes. It should be noted that exposure is a two way street. Public venues permit exhibitors and visitors the opportunity to experience the creativity of others. Ideas are thus shared and assimilated. Aesthetic observations later emerge as cross pollination of domestic endeavors. Soon, World War II put a halt to normalcy. Severe hardship followed; but, the essential ground work for a productive path had been established.

Tapio Wirkkala (1915–1985) is considered to be the patriarch of Finnish applied arts. If he is the father, then Gunnel Nyman might be the matriarch. The war was over and the world stage was ready for a renewed start. Tapio was a major glass designer for iittala from 1946 until 1985, where he introduced a range of innovative ideas. He received numerous international awards and honorary titles as well as being well–traveled. His popular inspirations evolved from nature. Special Wirkkala creations now grace the collections of prestigious museums around the world while his everyday household items have continued to service the Finnish public for decades.

Timo Sarpanevea (1926–2006) was another important iittala designer who excelled in numerous fields. Like Wirkkala, Sarpanevea was recognized internationally with many awards and honorary degrees. His pioneering ideas utilized state-of-the-art electronic techniques as well as rudimentary hand tools. He was as comfortable on a computer as he was with a sharp chisel in his hands. Sarpanevea was chosen to design and help organize exceptional exhibitions that would highlight the very best of Finnish design to the world.

Saara Hopea (1925–1984), Kaj Franck 1911–1989), Nanny Still (1926–) and Oiva Toikka (1931–) are a few of many other award winning designers who impacted the creative arts of Finland. Hopea, for example, tended to combine clear crystal glass with colored glass.Then, planned reflective bubbles of trapped air were introduced into each blown glass form. Toikka has received worldwide fame for his collection of glass birds. Professor Kaj Franck developed theories on socio-aesthetics of functional objects and the work environment. And, he designed beautiful art glass. Nanny Still, by comparison, experimented with visual interactions between extremes of colors like golden yellows and vibrant violets.

Good design always has a definable source. In Finland, the roots of modern glass design derive from a unique hybrid of positive factors. They include a guaranteed quality and cost free education system, a powerful love of and respect for nature, world exposure to ground-breaking ideas, historically recent independence and freedom, health awareness, technological adaptability, multidisciplinary expertise, versatility and public sensitivity. Both special artworks and everyday utilitarian objects created by Finnish designers prove that the mundane can be transformed into rewarding aesthetic experiences. Significantly, they are evidence of an artistic social conscience. (Virtual Gallery)