Tímarit Þjóðræknisfélags Íslendinga - 01.01.1963, Page 115

albert thorvaldsen, sculptor
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Indeed, he became so engulfed that
it was not until many years later
that he finished the superb statue
°f Jason after Sir Thomas had re-
Peatedly prodded him to get it done.
As was the fashion at that time,
Tborvaldsen now presided over a
isrge studio, with many appren-
tices, — at one time he had as
many as forty working with him.
But he was very meticulous in his
work and always put the finishing
touches on any commissioned works
that were created in his studio.
Actually it was not until 1828 that
Sir Thomas finally took possession
of the coveted statue of Jason, but
the Thorvaldsen Museum bought it
b1 1918 from his heirs for 3,000
Pounds sterlings, and now it stands
m all its majesty facing the rotunda
as you come through the main
entrance. Here stands, embodied
the realization of p u r i t y and
strength, a rebirth of that noble
súnplicity which was ancient Greek
art. The ideal, as Winckleman has
envisioned it, rising out of the
ancient myth, had now become a
reality, projecting a feeling of rest-
fulness and tranquility. Gone was
the frenzied overornamentation of
the Rococo; gone the rich encum-
brances of the Baroque; what re-
mained was the striking dignity of
form, the lofty perception of beauty
fn its purest form. The statue of
Jason was an entity in itself, free
and fluid in its monumental natur-
alness. It gripped the imagination
°f that age, and there was general
I°y in this achievement. Even
Canova, who in the nature of things,
Was a competitor of Thorvaldsen,
admitted to the superior elegance
of this “new and naturalistic style”,
It is said that on seeing Jason,
Canova exclaimed: “I wish I were
twenty years younger!” Jason was
the embodiment of all the ideals
that this age was vaguely striving
towards: the simplicity, the courage,
the nobility of soul, the freedom
and deliverance from bondage; this
was the hero that had conquered
the dragon!
At this time Thorvaldsen became
acquainted with Baron Herman
Schubart, Danish Ambassador to
Naples. He was a gay cavalier and
drew Bertel into the social whirl of
Rome where the richest and the
noblest had their sure niche. As
many of these were also great art
lovers this was an advantage for
the sculptor. He became a great
favorite and was lionized by the
ladies. This is not so strange for
although he was almost totally with-
out a formal education, he was by
now well self-educated, and his
grace and charm of manner made
him a delightful companion. He was
handsome, with a lithe strong body
slightly over medium height, and
his hair was the finest frame for
that noble brow. It is said that
those who envied him contended
that it was not his genius as a
sculptor that brought him success,
but these dreamy blue eyes and the
waves of golden hair that swept
over his forehead and face as he
worked. Invitations to the richest
homes were constant, and it is a
wonder that this society life did
not engulf him. But he devoted
himself faithfully to his work and