BISSEN, Hermann Wilhelm
(b. 1798, Schleswig, d. 1868, København)

Bathing Girl

1858-60
Marble
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen

In the Scandinavian countries, Neoclassicism remained a potent presence in the nineteenth century, notably in Denmark, where Thorvaldsen's influence was still very strong. Hermann Wilhelm Bissen and Jens Adolph Jerichau were the great representatives of Danish Neoclassicism in mid-nineteenth century. However, this tradition was modified by numerous external contributions. Bissen, for example, who was seen as Thorvaldsen most direct heir, was not impervious to naturalism. His Bathing Girl is a case in point, with her distinctly Danish features and meditative aspect, so different from the cold serenity of Neoclassicism.




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