Billedhuggeren Bertel Thorvaldsen 1831

This is H.W. Bissen’s bust of Bertel Thorvaldsen, made of plaster. Thorvaldsen was Bissen’s predecessor as arguably the most influential sculptor in Denmark, and in this bust we see a kind of passing of the torch between artists, enshrined within the structures of the Danish Royal Academy. The bust itself presents Thorvaldsen as a figure of classical learning, his slightly disheveled hair the only real break from the Neoclassical style, inspired by ancient Greece and Rome, that dominated European art for centuries. It suggests that Thorvaldsen is a genius, unconcerned with the practicalities of life, but blessed with innate talent. This emphasis on the individual is something we can trace back to the Enlightenment and the new institutions which were created at the time to promote the idea of art as a vehicle for personal expression and social progress. As an art historian, I might look at the archives of the Academy to understand more about the relationship between these two men.