In the piece "Bröderna" one has to assume that it is Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe and Friday who are about to set off in the canoe and leave the deserted island behind. It has been said that the Robinson character is in fact the artist, and the facial features give some credibility to this claim. Håfström considers himself an outsider and in the painting in the auction, "Bröderna", he emphasises this by appearing through a telescopic sight as Robinson. There is a connection here, in the circular detail of the sight, to one of his earlier paintings, "Den hemlighetsfulla ön" from 1965. Both paintings depict male worlds and men being alone on islands. This is no coincidence as Håfström’s practice often references his own earlier work.
Martin Sundberg describes "Bröderna", the painting in the auction, in his major text on the artist, "Tillvaratagna Effekter", as follows:
“Attention is directed towards him (Håfström) and his project. At the same time he finds himself in a world (light), divorced from the surroundings (dark). Those on the outside stand there baffled, but the artist won’t be influenced in his project to create and pull the whole thing off. The melancholic artist observes, but is not completely powerless to act. He is defined by a basic need to communicate.”
Sundberg continues:
“That his artistic practice (Håfström’s) also includes the joy of creativity, so striking in his desire to paint, is visible in "Bröderna". The men have carved a canoe and are now physically working on launching it to sea. What’s more, the vessel becomes a metaphor not only for his practice, but also for the attempt, by creating, to survive. Additionally, the canoe implies an imminent journey, a recurring metaphor for creativity not only in Håfström’s work…”
Jan Håfström is an important player on the Swedish cultural and literary scene. Despite being 84 years old he remains active and always relevant. Only recently he showed new work with Galleri Andersson/Sandström at the Market Art Fair in September 2021.