Werner Janson artwork

Werner Janson artwork, ‘Kommer vi att överleva’, 1960s. A large-scale abstract relief executed in mixed media on panel, measuring 125 x 125 x 6.5 cm (49.2 x 49.2 x 2.6 inches). The work is signed Werner Janson on the reverse and comes from the artist’s estate.

The composition is almost entirely monochromatic, executed in white and subtle off-white tones. Its visual structure is created through relief rather than conventional painted imagery. Numerous narrow, raised elements are arranged in repeated curvilinear sequences across the square support. These elements form broad concentric arcs interrupted by two elongated, pointed formations extending diagonally through the composition. Within these forms, closely spaced transverse elements produce a ribbed structure, while the surrounding wider bands create a slower sequence of parallel curves. The resulting image changes according to illumination and viewing position, with shadows between the projecting elements providing much of the tonal variation.

The construction combines a rigid panel with applied and modelled elements to produce a relief approximately 6.5 cm (2.6 inches) deep. The individual components appear deliberately repetitive and precisely spaced, creating a transition between pictorial surface and three-dimensional object. The square format and restricted palette emphasize the physical construction of the work: rhythm, interval, curvature, projection and shadow replace conventional distinctions between line and color. Seen obliquely, the depth of the projecting elements becomes particularly apparent and gives the composition a pronounced architectural character.

‘Kommer vi att överleva’, translated as Will We Survive, belongs to the experimental direction of Werner Janson’s work during the 1960s. Janson studied at Otte Sköld’s School of Painting and subsequently at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm. He also undertook study trips abroad, including to France. His encounters with different artistic environments contributed to a gradual movement away from representational imagery toward a more personal abstract language concerned with material, structure and spatial effects.

The work can be situated within the broader postwar development of Scandinavian abstract and constructive art, when artists increasingly investigated the boundary between painting, relief and sculpture. Its serial repetition and geometric organization have a constructive character, while the curved, expanding forms introduce a more organic visual vocabulary. The monochrome treatment is particularly important: rather than using contrasting pigments to articulate the composition, Janson allows actual depth and the shadows generated by the relief to establish contrast. The surface consequently changes with natural or artificial light, making perception of the work dependent upon its physical surroundings.

The work has documented exhibition history at Konsthallen Nämndhuset in Kristinehamn, where it was included in the exhibition Werner Janson, held September 13–20, 1969. It was illustrated on the cover of the exhibition catalogue. This provenance and exhibition record place the relief within Janson’s own period of activity rather than as a later reconstruction or edition.

The work appears to be in good vintage condition overall. The white surface retains a relatively even appearance, while minor irregularities, small marks and variations can be observed along some edges and individual projecting elements, consistent with the construction, age and handling of a three-dimensional relief. The reverse retains its brown textured backing and an old identification label inscribed with the artist’s name and the Swedish title Kommer vi att överleva.