ALVAR AALTO

For Alvar Aalto, human behaviour was at the core of every aspect of his designs, and his designs covered every aspect of his projects, each one a total work of art. All his activities – architecture, furniture, glassware, textiles, sculpture, painting – contributed to the works that made him both the precursor and one of the stellar figures of modernism.
Throughout a career that paralleled the industrialisation of his native Finland and international trends, Aalto experimented with materials and technology, gradually morphing from the rigidity of functionalism to include very human concerns, his designs responding to the needs of individuals, communities and society and the problems of well-being.
As an "architecture of the senses”, he created exceptionally sensitive environments and the Paimio Sanitorium (1928-1933), built to treat tuberculosis and regarded as a signature building of modernism, is the result of considering how the patient felt. Every element, the furniture, interior design, lighting and the setting, contributes to nuturing and healing.
In many ways, Paimio chairs, including Armchair 42, are emblematic of his lifelong concerns and global influence. Laminating and bending plywood enabled it to be used as a structural element and he created the first wooden cantilevered chairs. These techniques would be later adopted by Rae and Charles Eames and others. The fluidity of the design creates a soft, comfortable place to sit, while the angle of the back of the Armchair 42 helped sitters breathe more easily, vital in the sanitorium.

In collaboration with Artek, the company Aalto co-founded, Ark Journal commissioned two version of Armchair 42. Both in Finnish birch, one version features a walnut-stained seat and frame while the other is treated with a high-gloss black lacquer.