Bertel Thorvaldsen

Bertel Thorvaldsen, also spelled Thorwaldsen (November 19, 1770 - March 24, 1844), a Danish sculptor of European renown, was born in Copenhagen in 1770 (according to some accounts in 1768), the son of an Icelander who had settled in Denmark, and there carried on the trade of a wood-carver.

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November 19 - 1770 - March 24 - 1844 - Danish - Sculptor - Europe - Copenhagen - 1768 - Iceland

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He attended Copenhagen's Royal Danish Academy of Art (Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi), winning all the prizes including the large Gold Medal. As a consequence, he was granted a Royal stipend, enabling him to complete his studies in Rome. As it happened, he spent most of his active life there (1797-1838).

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Royal Danish Academy of Art - Rome - 1797 - 1838

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On March 8, 1797 he arrived in Rome, where Antonio Canova was at the height of his popularity. Thorvaldsen's first success was the model for a statue of Jason, which was highly praised by Canova, and he received the commission to execute it in marble from Thomas Hope, a wealthy English art-patron. From that time Thorvaldsen's success was assured, and he did not leave Italy for twenty-three years.

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March 8 - 1797 - Rome - Antonio Canova - Jason - Thomas Hope - English

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In 1819 he returned to Denmark, where he was commissioned to make the colossal series of statues of Christ and the twelve Apostles for Vor Frue Kirke (today the Copenhagen Cathedral), which after having been destroyed in the British bombardment in 1807 was rebuilt between 1817 and 1829. These were executed after his return to Rome, and were not completed till 1838, when Thorvaldsen again returned to Denmark. He died suddenly in the Copenhagen theatre on March 24 1844 and bequeathed a great part of his fortune for the building and endowment of a museum in Copenhagen, and also left to fill it all his collection of works of art and the models for all his sculptures very large collection, exhibited to the greatest possible advantage. Thorwaldsen is buried in the courtyard of this museum, under a bed of roses, by his own special wish.

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1819 - Christ - Apostle - Vor Frue Kirke - 1817 - 1829 - March 24 - 1844

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Thorvaldsen never married, but he had an illegitimate daughter with a long-time love. Thorvaldsen did acknowledge this daughter, and to this day, descendants of Thorvaldsen live in the United States and Sicily.

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Thorvaldsen was an outstanding representative of the Neoclassical period in sculpture. He was often compared to Antonio Canova, but in fact he embodied the style of classical Greek art more than the Italian artist. The poses and expressions of his figures are much more stiff and formal than those of Canova's.

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Neoclassical - Sculpture - Antonio Canova - Greek

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Motifs for his works (reliefs, statues, and busts) were drawn mostly from Greek mythology, but he also created portraits of important personalities, as in his statue of Pope Pius VII. His works can be seen in many European countries, especially in the Thorvaldsen Museum in Copenhagen, where his tomb is in the inner courtyard.

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Relief - Statue - Bust - Greek mythology - Pope Pius VII

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A recurrent themes in his work is that of male sensuality, traditionally encoded in European art in the myth of Zeus and Ganymede. Illustrative are his Eros, several versions of Ganymede, the Shepherd Boy with Dogs, and his bas relief of Hylas and the Nymphs, depicting a shapely Hylas terrified of the nubile nymphs embracing him.

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Male sensuality - Zeus - Ganymede - Eros - Hylas

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Outside Europe, Thorvaldsen is less well known (but see the important paper by Dimmick below). Additionally, his statue of the resurrected Christ (created for what is now the Lutheran Cathedral in Copenhagen) has appealed to the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints http://www.lightplanet.com/mormons/daily/history/1945_present/christus_eom.htm and an eleven foot replica is on display at Temple Square.

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Resurrected - Christ - Lutheran - Cathedral - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Temple Square

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A bronze copy of Thorvaldsen's Self-Portrait stands in Central Park, New York, near the East 97 Street entrance.

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Central Park - New York

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