Einar Jónsson

This article is about the sculptor Einar Jónsson. For the badminton player, see Einar Jónsson (Badminton) .

Einar Jónsson (born May 11, 1874 in Galtafell , Iceland ; † August 18, 1954 ) was the first sculptor from Iceland to become known to an international public.

Life

Jónsson's signature on a drawing from 1906

Einar Jónsson was the son of a farmer. At the age of 19 Einar went to Copenhagen in 1893 and became a pupil of Stephan Sinding .

Eight years later, Einar made his debut in 1901 with his first solo exhibition in Charlottenborg . His sculpture The Outlaw earned him a handsome scholarship from the Althing of Iceland . To this end, Einar made a long study trip through Germany and Italy . Between 1915 and 1916 he stayed in the USA , where he erected a monument in Philadelphia in honor of Thorfinn Karlsefni , the first Icelandic immigrant. He then created a war memorial in Winnipeg .

Jónsson in his studio

Back in Iceland, Einar made an extremely generous donation to his country. These works can still be seen as a permanent exhibition in a separate museum. In the capital Reykjavík you can find some statues of Einar Jónsson: King Christian IX. , Psalmist Hallgrímur Pétursson , Ingólfur Arnarson (Iceland's first settler) and others

The sculptor Einar Jónsson died in 1954 at the age of 80.

reception

Einar Jónsson has a tendency towards heroic and monumental sculptures, as can be seen in his depiction of the first settler Ingólfur Arnarson on Lækjargatan in Reykjavík . In terms of motifs, he mostly dealt with the history of his country. He also wrote The Outlaw in Front of the Ice Cathedral of Akureyri , which was created under the influence of Auguste Rodin . Even mythological motifs are often found with him. Examples of this can be found in the Einar Jónsson Museum next to Hallgrímskirkja and in the adjacent sculpture garden.

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  The end

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  The crucible

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  Monument to Hallgrímur Pétursson

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  Light and shadow

See also

• Icelandic painting and sculpture .

Web links

 Files: Sculpture by Einar Jónsson in Iceland  - local collection of images and media files

• Einar Jónsson Museum ( Icelandic and English )
• Einar Jónsson ( English )

Note: Icelanders are referred to by their first name or first and last name, but not just their surname. Further information can be found under Icelandic personal name .