Danish sculpture

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Equestrian bronze statue of King Frederik V created in Neoclassical style by Jacques Saly in 1768

Danish sculpture as a nationally recognized art form can be traced back to 1752 when

Neoclassicism, Realism, and in Historicism, the latter resulting from growing consciousness of a national identity. More recently, Danish sculpture has been inspired by European trends, especially those from Paris, including Surrealism and Modernism.[1]

The beginnings

Removal from the Cross at Ribe Cathedral (ca. 1175)

The earliest traces of sculpture in Denmark date from the 12th century when a stonemason known as

Frederik II's tomb in Roskilde Cathedral.[5] Similarly, in the 17th century, it was Adriaen de Vries who designed the Neptunus Fountain for Frederiksberg Palace (1615–22) although it was later taken by the Swedes as a prize of war and now stands before Drottningholm Palace.[6]

The development of Danish sculpture was greatly influenced in the mid-18th century by the French sculptor

Amalienborg Palace until August 1771, five years after the king's death in 1766.[8] It has been called one of the finest equestrian statues in Europe.[7]

Early Neoclassicisism

Johannes Wiedewelt:Frederik V's sarcophagus (1769) in Roskilde Cathedral

Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard who later became Director of the Academy and Bertel Thorvaldsen's instructor.[9]

Thorvaldsen

The Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen
Bertel Thorvaldsen: Christus (1824), Church of Our Lady, Copenhagen

Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770–1844) is the most famous Danish sculptor, recognized across Europe as one of the leading Neoclassical sculptors. After entering the Art Academy in Copenhagen when he was only 11, he went on to win all four of the institution's medals. In 1796, he received a stipend for a relatively short study tour to Italy but apart from a short visit to Denmark in 1819, he stayed in Rome for over 40 years. After a model for his statue of Jason and the Golden Fleece received recognition from the leading Italian sculptor of the day, Antonio Canova, his success was ensured. Thorvaldsen gradually employed numerous assistants, extending his work to be executed in five studios in Rome, as he received orders from all over Europe.[10]

Among his most important works are the colossal series of statues of

Jozef Poniatowski in Warsaw. His works can be seen in many European countries, but there is a very large collection at the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen. During his stay in Rome, Thorvaldsen played an important role in encouraging young Danish artists spending time in the city.[11]

Thorvaldsen's students

Three of those who had studied under Thorvaldsen in Rome made significant contributions to the development of Danish sculpture, influenced on the one hand by their master's interest in classicism and on the other by a growing interest in nationalism in their mother country.

Statens Museum for Kunst.[13]

Herman Wilhelm Bissen (1798–1868), initially a Neoclassicist, is remembered for the Realism of his monumental works celebrating Danish military victories while reflecting the nationalistic trend of the times. Bissen's Landsoldaten or Danish Soldier (1858) in Fredericia and Isted Lion (1862) in Flensburg were both erected to commemorate the Danish victory over Schleswig-Holstein at the Battle of Isted (Idstedt) on 25 July 1850. The Danish Soldier is notable in that it does not depict a high-ranking officer but rather a simple footsoldier with whom Danish citizens could readily identify.[14] Bissen was inspired to design his massive bronze Isted Lion after studying the Piraeus Lion in Venice where it had been displayed as a prize of war since 1687. After a colourful history of moves to Berlin and Copenhagen, the Isted Lion was finally returned to its original setting in Flensburg in 2011.[15]

Jens Adolf Jerichau (1816–1883) initially followed closely in Thorvaldsen's footsteps with his Neoclassical work Hercules and Hebe (1846) and his colossal figure of Christ from 1849. He then went on to develop his own, more dynamic style which can be seen in The Panther Hunter (1846), a work which has been seen as a prime example of the relationship between classical art and modern trends in naturalism.[16]

Late 19th century

Some sculptors continued to create statues based on classical figures but now with a more Naturalistic look. A good example is Aksel Hansen's Echo (1888) in the Rosenborg Castle Gardens. The Greek nymph's lively contemporary look of a woman in motion contrasts with the more rigid harmony of Classicism.[17] Anders Bundgaard (1864–1937) is remembered for his huge statue near Langelinie of the Norse goddess Gefion (1900) driving her oxen.[18]

But as the turn of the century approached, new trends developed, starting with Historicism and the need to pay tribute to Danes who had become famous. August Saabye (1823–1916), one of Bissen's students at the Academy, first maintained the Neoclassical tradition but was later inspired by French Naturalism.[19] His finest work is certainly the bronze statue of Hans Christian Andersen in the Rosenborg Gardens which he completed in 1880. By depicting Andersen in a sitting position addressing his audience, Saabye was able to capture the author's inner qualities which meant so much to the Danish public.[20] Saabye is also known for his statue of composer Johan Peter Emilius Hartmann. Bissen's son, Vilhelm Bissen, also sculpted a number of famous figures including N. F. S. Grundtvig at the Marble Church, Christian IV at Nyboder and Absalon on Højbro Plads in Copenhagen.[21] Reference can also be made to sculptor Carl Hartmann.

The other evolving artistic trend which attracted the attention of Danish sculptors was

Jesus Church in Valby for which it was originally designed.[22] Other Danish sculptors who were influenced by Rodin's symbolism include Stephan Sinding (1846–1922) and Rudolph Tegner (1873–1950).[23]

Early 20th century

One of the first women to become active in Danish sculpture was Anne Marie Carl-Nielsen (1863–1945), the wife of Carl Nielsen. A sense of vitality combining Naturalism with Classicism can be seen her works, most of which depict either animals or the human figure. Of particular note are the three bronze doors of Ribe Cathedral (1904), the equestrian statue of King Christian IX (1927) and the monument dedicated to her husband, The Young Man playing Pan-pipes on a Wingless Pegasus (1939), in Copenhagen.[24]

Kai Nielsen (1882–1924) accomplished a significant breakthrough with his erotic female figures, frequently based on mythological characters. Among his finest works are the bronze Blind almuepige (Blind Peasant Girl, 1907), Marmorpigen (The Marble Girl, 1910) and Leda med svanen (Leda and the Swan, 1918) in limestone. At the Academy, he had been instructed by Edvard Eriksen (1876–1959) who is famous for another bronze female figure, Den lille havfrue (The Little Mermaid, 1913).[25]

For a period, Denmark became identified with French-inspired Modernism with sculptors such as Jean Gauguin (1881–1961)and Adam Fischer (1888–1968) demonstrating a spirit of cultural optimism in contrast to the nations in conflict during the First World War. Fischer's geometrically designed Danserinde (Dancing Girl) from 1917 also demonstrates the influence of Cubism. Another significant contributor of the period was Svend Rathsack (1885–1941) who together with the architect Ivar Bentsen designed the Maritime Monument (Søfartsmonumentet) on Langelinie.[26]

Interwar period

Between the wars there was an interest in creating statues of ordinary people in their everyday clothes as can be seen in Povl Søndergaard's Mand og pige (Man and Girl, 1934)[27] and Knud Nellemose's Avismanden Leitriz (1935), depicting a newspaperman dressed in the clothes he wore when selling newspapers in the streets of Copenhagen.[28] Gunnar Westman (1915–1985) who came under the influence of Bror Hjorth in Sweden developed a simplified style which can be seen in his works representing children such as Børn ved vinduet (Children at the Window, 1947), Gøgeungen and Børnehaven (1948).[29] Also in the 1930s, Gottfred Eickhoff (1902–1982) sculpted simplified human figures inspired by the influence of his French instructors Charles Despiau and Aristide Maillol. Unveiled in 1940, his statue of Roepiger (The Beet Girls) can be seen in Sakskøbing on the island of Lolland.[30]

The 1930s also saw the influence of Surrealism, for example in the work of Ejler Bille (1910–2004) with his early animal-like figures.[31] Henry Heerup (1907–1993) developed an interest in "junk models" made from trash he found in the streets. He is also remembered for sculpting the original shape of a stone.[32] Sonja Ferlov, remembered for her Owl (1935) and her African-inspired designs, was also an important associate of these surrealistic artists who together were leading members of the Linien association.[33][34] Probably the best known participant in Danish Surrealism was Wilhelm Freddie (1909–1995) who took a more explicitly sexual approach to Surrealism. This can be seen in his Sex-paralysappeal (1936) which was confiscated by the police on the grounds of pornography.[35][36]

Post-war developments

As in France, immediately after the

Herning Art Museum.[40][41] An important and profuse contributor in the 1950s and 1960s was Jørgen Haugen Sørensen (born 1934) whose slaughtered animals allowed him to explore new avenues of abstract Expressionism, representing his views of the human condition in his own, often brutal style.[42][43]

The Concretist movement sought to achieve a purity of expression for all cultures and ages. Robert Jacobsen (1912–1993), one of its early proponents, gained international recognition with his welded iron sculptures where lines and surfaces were enclosed in autonomous universes.[37][44] Another concretist in Linien II was Gunnar Aagaard Andersen (1919–1982) who developed socially-oriented sculpture at an international level.[45]

In the 1960s, minimalistic tendencies in German and American art were behind the meta-objective approach of Willy Ørskov (1920-1990) who used everyday materials such as plastics and often inflated rubber to produce his works. Examples include Sommerskulptur (1965, Nordjyllands Kunstmuseum) and Stabiler-Instabiler-Labiler (1968).[46][47] Others who experimented with untraditional materials were Bjørn Nørgaard (born 1947), Hein Heinsen (born 1935) and Per Kirkeby (born 1938).[37]

The 1970s showed a growing interest in American-inspired installations depicting the surrounding world and leading in 1973 to the Institut for Skalakunst (Institute for Scalable Art) which was behind numerous democratically designed decorative works in public spaces around the country. The principal proponents were Mogens Møller, Hein Heinsen and Stig Brøgger.[48][49]

In the 1980s, international Post-Modernism heralded a return to a more classical, intellectually based approach to sculpture avoiding the excesses of the avant-garde. Players here included Henrik B. Andersen, Morten Stræde, Øivind Nygaard, Søren Jensen and Elisabeth Toubro who had all been influenced at the Art Academy by Willy Ørskov and Hein Heinsen.[37][48]

Current trends

Today, young Danish artists are increasingly seeking inspiration abroad, especially at Berlin's exhibitions. Per Arnoldi, Per Kirkeby and Olafur Eliasson have all carried out large-scale decorative work in the new Copenhagen Opera House (2004)[50] while in 2003 Elisabeth Toubro completed her controversial Vanddragen (Water Dragon, 2003) in the centre of Aarhus.[51] The recent Ørestad development has also seen the completion of monumental works including Per Kirkeby's Murstensskulptur (The Brick Wall, 2004), Hein Heinsen's bronze Den store udveksler (The Great Exchange, 2005) and Bjørn Nørgaard's colourful Kærlighedsøen (Lake of Love, 2010).[48][52]

Museums and sculpture parks

In addition to works displayed in towns and cities, a number of museums and gardens have collections of Danish sculpture:

Part of a series on the
Culture of Denmark

References

  1. ISBN 87-00-24612-3
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  2. ^ "Horder", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  3. ISBN 978-0-470-43212-9
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  4. ^ "Danmark - billedkunst (Romansk og gotisk kunst)", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  5. ^ "Danmark - billedkunst (Renæssancen)", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  6. ^ "Danmark - billedkunst (Barokken)", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  7. ^ a b Nelson, Nina (1973). Denmark. Batsford. p. 42.
  8. ^ Bent Sørensen, "Saly, Jacques François Joseph", Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon. (in Danish) Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  9. ^ Hakon Lund, "Wiedewelt, Johannes", Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon. (in Danish) Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  10. ^ "About Bertel Thorvaldsen" Archived 2012-03-09 at the Wayback Machine, Thorvaldsen Museum. Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  11. ^ "Bertel Thorvaldsen", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 9 January 2012.
  12. ^ "H.E. Freund", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  13. ^ Jens Peter Munk, "Hermann Ernst Freund". Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon. (in Danish) Retrieved 22 January 2012.
  14. ^ "Dansk skulptur i nationalistisk perspektiv" Archived 2012-07-28 at archive.today, Skulpturstudier: dansk skulptur 1800-1940. (in Danish) Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  15. ^ Inge Adriansen, "Istedløven genopstår som vennegave", Videnskab dk. (in Danish) Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  16. ^ "Antikken længe leve: 1800-tallet" Archived 2011-01-01 at the Wayback Machine, Skulpturstudier: dansk skulptur 1800-1940. (in Danish) Retrieved 11 January 2012.
  17. ^ "Antikken længe leve: Omkring år 1900" Archived 2012-07-18 at archive.today, Skulpturstudier: dansk skulptur 1800-1940. (in Danish) Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  18. ^ "Gefion Fountain - Copenhagen", Visit Denmark. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  19. ^ "August Saabye", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  20. ISBN 87-00-24612-3
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  21. ^ "Vilhelm Bissen", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 12 January 2012.
  22. ^ "Niels Hansen Jacobsen", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 12 January 2012
  23. ^ Flemming Friborg, "Fra Myte til Psyke" in "Dansk Skulptur i 125 år", Copenhagen, Gyldendal, 1996, p. 312
  24. ^ "Anne Marie Carl Nielsen", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 14 January 2012.
  25. ^ "Kai Nielsen", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  26. ^ Hanne Abildgaard, "Modernitet og Menneske" in "Dansk Skulptur i 125 år", Copenhagen, Gyldendal, 1996, p. 116 et seq.
  27. ^ "Povl Søndergaard", Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon. (in Danish) Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  28. ^ "Knud Nellemose (1908-97): Avismanden Leitriz, 1935. Kunststen", Vejle Kunstmuseum. (in Danish) Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  29. ^ "Gunnar Westman". Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  30. ^ "Gottfred Eickhoff", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  31. ^ "Ejler Bille" Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine, Galleri Profilen. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  32. ^ "Heerup", Lauritz.com. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  33. ^ "Sonja Ferlov Mancoba : 1911-1985", CoBrA. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  34. ^ "Sonja Ferlov Mancoba: 100 years" Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine, Museum Jorn. Retrieved 28 January 2011.
  35. ^ "Wilhelm Freddie", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  36. ^ "Wilhelm Freddie", Kunsten. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  37. ^ a b c d Mikkel Borg, "Skulpturen, tiden og verden 1945–1995" in "Dansk Skulptur i 125 år", Copenhagen, Gyldendal, 1996, p. 193 et seq. (in Danish).
  38. ^ "Museum Jorn". Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  39. ^ "Asger Jorn på Århus Statsgymnasium" Archived 2006-04-30 at the Wayback Machine, Århus Statsgymnasium. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  40. ^ "Svend Wiig Hansen", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  41. ^ "Sculptur" Archived 2008-04-06 at the Wayback Machine, Herning Kunstmuseum. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  42. ^ "Jørgen Haugen Sørensen at Statens Museum for Kunst", Art Knowledge News. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
  43. ^ Pia Kristine Münster, "Jørgen Haugen Sørensen", Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  44. ^ "Billedmageren Robert Jacobsen"[permanent dead link], Kunsten. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  45. ^ Anne Duer, "Gunnar Aagaard Andersen: a ground-breaking hybrid artist", Statens Museum for Kunst. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  46. ^ "Willy Ørskov", Kunsten. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  47. ^ "Willy Ørskov", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  48. ^ a b c "Billedkunst - Efter 1945", Den Store Danske. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  49. ^ "Houses of Knowledge", University of Copenhagen, p.185 and p.195. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  50. ^ "Copenhagen - Denmark's Cultural Capital", Visit Denmark[permanent dead link]. Retrieved 29 January 2012
  51. ^ "Torvenes Brøndsløjfe/Vanddragen", Kend Aarhus. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  52. ^ "Kunstværker giver byen identitet", Ørestad, 17 August 2010. (in Danish) Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  53. ^ "The Collection", ARoS. Retrieved 29 December 2012.
  54. ^ "The Collection" Archived 2012-01-07 at the Wayback Machine, Heart. Retrieved 29 January 2012.
  55. ^ "Collection" Archived 2013-09-21 at the Wayback Machine, Kunsten. Retrieved 29 January 2012.

Literature

  • Abildgaard, Hanne; Bogh, Mikkel; Friborg, Flemming: "Dansk Skulptur i 125 år", Copenhagen, Gyldendal, 1996, 327 pp. (in Danish)
    ISBN 87-00-24612-3
    .

External links

Media related to Sculptures in Denmark at Wikimedia Commons

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