Lögberg-Heimskringla - 26.07.1996, Blaðsíða 20

20 • Lögberg-Heimskringla • Föstudagur 26, juli 1996
MóðirJörð, Mother
Earth, in which the
sculptor said the
infant reflects
mankind and the
mother is the bounti-
ful earth. Strength
implied by mountain-
ous figures and
oceanic impact is
seen in the turbulent
shapes in the
art of Ásmundur
Sveinsson.
Written in stone, cast in iron
‘lceland’ Sveinsson’s legacy
Bom in mral Iceland well before
the turn of the century,
Ásmundur Sveinsson found al-
most all his early visual stimuli in nat-
ural images. His birthplace, Kolsstadir
farm in the Dalasýsla district of west-
em Iceland, is located near massive
rolling hillsides and prominent moun-
tains which made for a tough, isolated
existence.
Consequently, farmers in the late
I800s leamed to be self sufficient in
most things, and young Sveinsson
learned basic carpentry and iron-
woricing. Already as a boy of fíve he
had begun carving wood and stone,
coaxing images from the raw, natural
materials. Later, he began fashioning
sheep branding irons which were so
well made that his proud father began
giving them to neighbours. Although
not destined to be a farmer, he was
subconsciously deeply influenced by
his early life, particularly the images.
As was the norm in mral locations,
during the long evenings of the winter
months, family members took tums
reading the sagas or other folk tales or
made up their own. Lacking even
basic visual illustrations for these sto-
ries, verbal creations were used to
bring them to life. Trolls, monsters,
demons and the heroic fígures of the
sagas spun their way into the young
boy’s thought process, blended with
the powerful laridscapes which sur-
rounded him.
Gradually, it became obvious that
Sveinsson would rather be doing
something other than farming, and at
22 he began formal training in art
under the noted sculptor and wood-
carver Ríkhardur Jónsson in Reyk-
javflc. Later he would go to Copen-
hagen and Stockholm for a continental
education.
While in Copenhagen Sveinsson
enjoyed the nickname “Iceland” given
to him by his classmates. Later in
Stockholm from 1920-26, he was
taught by Carl Milles at the Swedish
Academy for Fine Arts.
Being familiar with Norse legends
and various international styles in
sculpture, Milles realized that “Ice-
land” Sveinsson would bear a certain
responsibility as a pioneer sculptor.
He knew also that young artists faced
with such burdens may, in despera-
tion, fall into the trap of imitation. He
told his protegé that art was not imita-
tion of styles, not even of reality or
nature, but a transformation process
on the part of the artist.
Returning to Iceland in 1929,
Sveinsson began dedicating himself to
his own art. His early figures reflect a
profound impact from nature and the
strong people who have persevered
against the harsh elements of the
North Atlantic for a thousand years. A
series of statues portraying workers
shows them as huge and robust.
Some mistakenly interpret their size
as Sveinsson’s way of poking fun at
laborers. They couldn’t be farther
from the tmth, for in these sculptures,
the figures are deliberately given hero-
ic dimensions, mirroring the massive
hillsides and huge shapes near his
birthplace. Some examples are the
Blacksmifh, Water Carrier, Laundress-
es, and Weather Teller, among others.
Primaiy natural aspects play an im-
portant role in Sveinson’s works.
Strength is implied by mountainous
figures, often in pyramidal forms.
Oceanic impact is seen in turbulent
shapes, of waves or nautical life, and
inferred by symbols of rhythm and
hence music. These first two forces of
land and sea are often conveyed in op-
position to each other in single works.
Femininity, fertility and matemity
are earthy emblems. The sun is
the driving force of the universe
and cause for optimism, whereas snow
and ice are the opposite. Space and
openings are in deference to the cos-
mos, winds, or intended to imitate
caves formed by seas.
It can be said that Sveinsson takes
perhaps two approaches to his sub-
jects. Sometimes he seems to endow
human figures with characteristics of
nature, such as branches or the mas-
siveness of boulders. In other cases,
he appears to have started on a land-
scape scale, mounding and opening
the work until clues of humanity
emerge.
In still other cases, in the medium
of wood, a more direct option occurs
where a product of natural growth is
rendered into a heterogeneous homage
to man and nature which together
formed the work.
Although Sveinsson chose to con-
vey some figures as large and awe-
some, as with his worker series, and
subjects from the sagas and the Bible,
he could also depict airy, open sub-
jects. Late in his career he became fas-
cinated with another dimension of na-
ture, that of outer space. Creations
from this period appear as if they
landed from another planet; others
might fly off, if the winds were right.
Modem metalic works with titles
like Through the Sound Barrier and
Face of the Sun are in this group.
Although patterns in his work
emerge, Sveinsson resisted formal de-
finitions while working in various
media on different themes. Not con-
tent to create for stuffy galleries, he
made most of his works deliberately
for outdoor display where they could
be viewed by the admiring public.
Even neighborhood children while
playing around the works, sometimes
saw the open-air symbolism more
clearly than leamed critics. Past inter-
views show that he enjoyed their
fresh, spontaneous insight. Thus, in
many ways his works enriched and in-
teracted with the environment which
fostered them.
Sveinsson’s works, though abstract,
are his way of paying respect to his
country, its people and the legendaty
proportions of both. He knew Ice-
landers’ survival was dependent on
making peace with and preserving Na-
ture. In so doing we must, as he did,
show the same dynamism as Nature it-
self.
Ásmundur Sveinsson was
lceland’s first sculptor of
international renown.
Through his work he gave
lcelanders a chance to look
at their culture in a new way.

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