Rudolph Tegner
Encyclopedia
Rudolph Tegner was a Danish sculptor linked to the Symbolist
movement. In the early 20th century his work caused considerable controversy in Denmark. A large number of his works are on display in the Rudolph Tegner Museum
north of Copenhagen
.
He travelled to Greece and to Italy as a young man, where he was particularly impressed by Michelangelo
's sculptures in the Medici Chapel
. His first major work, A Faun (1891) was installed at Charlottenburg Palace
. From 1890 to 1893 he collaborated with the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland
, and then moved to Paris, where he resided until 1897. Tegner's sculptures developed the stylistic innovations of Art Nouveau
and the erotic realism of Auguste Rodin
. This caused widespread debate in Denmark, which was still heavily influenced by the restrained neo-classical ideals of Bertel Thorvaldsen
. Tegner, in contrast, emphasised violent monumental forms which were both eye-catching and provocative.
Tegner was influenced strongly by the ideas of Frederich Nietzsche, especially as filtered through the writings of Georg Brandes
. He created a statuette entitled Lucifer with Brandes's Head (1902), a reference to Brandes' nickname "Lucifer". It has been described as showing the author as if he were "almost like his own worst enemy, or at least seems unafraid of aiming barbs at himself." Images of struggling figures influenced by Nietzschean ideas run throughout his work. Brandes himself defended Tegner's most controversial work, a monument to the physician and Nobel Laureate Niels Finsen, which was installed in Copenhagen in 1909. It shows a standing naked man flanked by two kneeling naked women, reaching up to the sky. The sculpture was entitled Mod lyset (Towards the Light). It symbolised Finsen's principal scientific theory, that specific wavelengths of sunlight have healing properties.
In 1911 Tegner married the painter Elna Jørgensen (1889–1976). In 1916, he acquired barren uncultivated land in Zealand in the vicinity of Helsingør. He subsequently built a museum and sculpture park dedicated to his work in this bleak landscape. From 1917 on he installed a number of his sculptures there, mainly on classical themes. He also created a building in an uncompromising minimalist
style to function as a museum for his work. He is buried in a mausoleum at the centre of the complex, which is open to the public.
Symbolism (arts)
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style had its beginnings with the publication Les Fleurs du mal by Charles Baudelaire...
movement. In the early 20th century his work caused considerable controversy in Denmark. A large number of his works are on display in the Rudolph Tegner Museum
Rudolph Tegner Museum
The Rudolph Tegner Museum, dedicated to the oeuvre of the sculptor Rudolph Tegner, is set in the middle of a protected area just south of Dronningmølle on Zealand's north coast, some 50 km north of Copenhagen, Denmark.-History:...
north of Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
.
Biography
Tegner was the son of politician and businessman Jørgen Henry August Tegner and his wife Signe Elisabeth Puggaard.He travelled to Greece and to Italy as a young man, where he was particularly impressed by Michelangelo
Michelangelo
Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art...
's sculptures in the Medici Chapel
Medici Chapel
The Medici Chapels is a structure in the Basilica of San Lorenzo, Florence, Italy. It comprises two structures added to Brunelleschi's original design, each intended to celebrate the power of the Medici as Grand Dukes of Tuscany. One is the Sagrestia Nuova, the "New Sacristy", designed by...
. His first major work, A Faun (1891) was installed at Charlottenburg Palace
Charlottenburg Palace
Charlottenburg Palace is the largest palace in Berlin, Germany, and the only royal residency in the city dating back to the time of the Hohenzollern family. It is located in the Charlottenburg district of the Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf burough.The palace was built at the end of the 17th century...
. From 1890 to 1893 he collaborated with the Norwegian sculptor Gustav Vigeland
Gustav Vigeland
Gustav Vigeland was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his productivity. He is most associated with Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo...
, and then moved to Paris, where he resided until 1897. Tegner's sculptures developed the stylistic innovations of Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
and the erotic realism of Auguste Rodin
Auguste Rodin
François-Auguste-René Rodin , known as Auguste Rodin , was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past...
. This caused widespread debate in Denmark, which was still heavily influenced by the restrained neo-classical ideals of Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen
Bertel Thorvaldsen was a Danish-Icelandic sculptor of international fame, who spent most of his life in Italy . Thorvaldsen was born in Copenhagen into a Danish/Icelandic family of humble means, and was accepted to the Royal Academy of Arts when he was eleven years old...
. Tegner, in contrast, emphasised violent monumental forms which were both eye-catching and provocative.
Tegner was influenced strongly by the ideas of Frederich Nietzsche, especially as filtered through the writings of Georg Brandes
Georg Brandes
Georg Morris Cohen Brandes was a Danish critic and scholar who had great influence on Scandinavian and European literature from the 1870s through the turn of the 20th century. He is seen as the theorist behind the "Modern Breakthrough" of Scandinavian culture...
. He created a statuette entitled Lucifer with Brandes's Head (1902), a reference to Brandes' nickname "Lucifer". It has been described as showing the author as if he were "almost like his own worst enemy, or at least seems unafraid of aiming barbs at himself." Images of struggling figures influenced by Nietzschean ideas run throughout his work. Brandes himself defended Tegner's most controversial work, a monument to the physician and Nobel Laureate Niels Finsen, which was installed in Copenhagen in 1909. It shows a standing naked man flanked by two kneeling naked women, reaching up to the sky. The sculpture was entitled Mod lyset (Towards the Light). It symbolised Finsen's principal scientific theory, that specific wavelengths of sunlight have healing properties.
In 1911 Tegner married the painter Elna Jørgensen (1889–1976). In 1916, he acquired barren uncultivated land in Zealand in the vicinity of Helsingør. He subsequently built a museum and sculpture park dedicated to his work in this bleak landscape. From 1917 on he installed a number of his sculptures there, mainly on classical themes. He also created a building in an uncompromising minimalist
Minimalism
Minimalism describes movements in various forms of art and design, especially visual art and music, where the work is set out to expose the essence, essentials or identity of a subject through eliminating all non-essential forms, features or concepts...
style to function as a museum for his work. He is buried in a mausoleum at the centre of the complex, which is open to the public.