August Weizenberg
August Weizenberg (born April 6, 1837 in Ritsik, Kanepi parish , Livonia , † November 22, 1921 in Tallinn ) was an Estonian sculptor . He is considered the founder of sculpture in Estonia.
education
August Ludwig Weizenberg was born into the family of a shoemaker . He first learned the carpentry trade at the Karste manor and from 1858 to 1862 in Erastvere . At the beginning of the 1860s he worked as a cabinet maker in Frankfurt (Oder) and Berlin . In 1865 he was accepted into the studio of the Petersburg sculptor Alexander Bock on the recommendation of the Estonian doctor and writer Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald . He later became a guest student at the St. Petersburg Art Academy . From 1870 to 1873 he studied at the Art Academy in Munich .
Artist
From 1873 to 1890, Weizenberg lived as a freelance painter in Rome . There he developed a passion for the classical concept of beauty. August Weizenberg himself named the Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen as a personal role model. His own work was strongly attached to classicism and realism . As material for his sculptures, he preferred marble from Carrara .
Weizenberg was not very active socially and politically. The sources of inspiration for Weizenberg's work, however, were scenes and figures from Estonian mythology (for example the grieving Linda , Vanemuine , Koit and Hämarik) or biblical representations (" Christ and Barabbas ").
Between 1880 and 1893, Weizenberg made portraits of various famous Estonian personalities ( Friedrich Reinhold Kreutzwald , Jakob Hurt , Ferdinand Wiedemann , Lydia Koidula , Anna Haava ) as well as masterful grave monuments. In addition, the versatile Weizenberg also worked as a journalist , wrote poems, short stories and plays, and composed songs. From 1912 he lived permanently in Tallinn. There he was active in the protection of monuments and organized the first sculpture exhibitions in Estonia.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Weizenberg had become Estonia's most important sculptor. His works adorned the Vanemuine Theater in Tartu and the Tallinn City Library , among others . During his final years he lived in a wing of Kadriorg Palace in Tallinn. He died in the Estonian capital in 1921, which was highly regarded. Today he is buried in the Raadi cemetery in Tartu.
Most important sculptures
- Ema portree ("Portrait of a Mother", Tartu 1878)
- Lootus ("Hope", grave monument 1893)
- Portrait of Linda ( classical sculpture, today in the Estonian Art Museum, 1868; in 1920 also in Roman bronze erected in the immediate vicinity of Reval Toompea in Lindaberg Park )
- Kalevipoeg
- Koit and Haemarik ("Sunrise" and " Evening Red ", classicistic, marble , donation by Weizenberg to the Estonia Opera House , Tallinn 1890)
- Vanemuine (on Tartu Toompea)
- Kristus yes Barabas
- Kevad, Suvi, Sügis, Talv ( allegorical children's figures of the four seasons, 1880–1882)
literature
- Jüri Hain: Eesti kunsti suurus ja viletsus. 150 aastat August Weizenbergi sünnist. In: Looming No. 4 (1987), pp. 528-539
- Heini Paas: August Weizenberg 1837–1921. Tallinn 1999. ISBN 978-5-89920-040-3
Web links
- CV (Estonian)
- Bronze monument of Linda in Tallinn
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Weizenberg, August |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Weizenberg, August Ludwig |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Estonian sculptor |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 6, 1837 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ritsik, Kanepi parish , Livonia |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 22, 1921 |
| Place of death | Tallinn |