Axel Törneman is one of the most groundbreaking 20th-century artists whose paintings led to the breakthrough of modernism in Sweden. He was early associated with the avant-garde and a tendency in art called expressionism. In Timmerflottare we see a group of men working to transport timber using the currents of the water. It is risky and hard work. The men's synchronized movements form a rising and rhythmic foundation - not only for the artistic composition of the painting, but also for the economy of society. In 1907, Törneman won a design commission for Wermlands Enskilda Bank. Timmerflottare is one of a total of four paintings. The other motifs similarly bring to mind working people and industrial environments, depicting a harbor, a forge and a mine. The paintings for Wermlands Enskilda Bank became the artist's first monumental commissions.


Material: Oil on canvas

Purchased: 1969