Project Fredrika Bremer

Few portraits in the 19th century collection show outstanding professional women, reflecting the unequal conditions of the time, when women had fewer opportunities to be educated and gain influence. Fredrika Bremer is depicted in plaster, but the bust is too delicate for the Sculpture Garden, instead the portrait got a protective glass cover for display purposes. It also became the starting point for an educational project about gender, portrait art and the sculptor’s work process.

Fredrika Bremer was one of the most famous Swedes of her time and a pioneer in the women’s movement. She wrote about current social issues, for example in the novel Hertha (1856). It concerns women’s right to reach majority and caused a major debate. In 1858, the law was changed and unmarried women could apply to reach majority at the age of 25. As such, women could enter agreements, manage their own finances and run their own businesses without the permission of a male guardian. Carl Gustaf Qvarnström’s portrait in plaster is dated 1866, the year after Fredrika Bremer’s death. It was probably made from a photograph, and likely intended to be finished in a more durable material. Qvarnström died the following year and did not cut the portrait in marble. He, like Bremer, was important for women’s issues. In 1864, during his tenure as Director of the Royal Academy, the first department for women was established. If Qvarnström had done the marble bust, the plaster version would had been used as a model. In order to spare the plaster original, the museum instead made a new proportional model. A camera was rotated around the plaster and took 144 pictures. The pictures were processed digitally, and a new 3D printer was used to print a new copy in nylon, which was sent to a sculptor in Carrara, Italy. With the help of a so-called pantograph, the sculptor transfers the model’s measurements to a stone block. Moving the device between the model and the stone, points are placed showing how deep the stone is to be cut. When all the points are cut to the correct depth, the surface between are cleared. Marble cutting is time consuming. It took several months to cut the bust of Fredrika Bremer. First, rough tools like chisels, hammers, clubs and drills are used. The finishing work is done with finer tools like files, grindstones and sandpaper. To give life and movement to the stone, the sculptor lets smooth and rough surfaces, reflecting the light in different ways, play against each other. In order to show the several steps of the process, Bremer has not been cut out completely, but is about to emerge from the marble block.

The Ideal Man

In the early 1800s, sculpture was dominated by classicism and its faith in a refined reality. The result of this idealism was a young and detached body ideal with chaste women and heroic men. Real and sensual bodies were not desired, but costumes and accessories were depicted in detail. This ideal fit the white marble, both at once cold and sensual. Motifs were derived from well-known mythological or religious narratives in order to educate the viewer to become a noble human being. Antique Greek and Roman art served as models. Marble sculptures were often commissioned to create a representative environment. Several of the sculptors represented here had a studio in Rome.

In Greek mythology, Helen was the daughter of the god Zeus and wife of Menelaos, king of Sparta. Her great beauty caused conflicts. Even though Helen was married, Aphrodite, the goddess of love, promised her to Paris, prince of Troy. When he went to Sparta to abduct Helen, the Trojan war broke out.

A more Realistic Human Being

During the second half of the 19th century, more realistic sculpture trends began to appear and the modern art scene moved from Rome to Paris. The subject matters got broader and the character changed, using strong feelings and a livelier body language. The number of public sculptures increased to become a more common feature of the cityscape. This gained great visibility at the Paris Salon. A large number nude female figures symbolizing moods or natural phenomena obviously attracted the male gaze.

Selma Lagerlöf’s first novel, Gösta Berling’s Saga, was published in 1891. In 1909, she received the Nobel Prize for Literature and in 1914 became the first woman in the Swedish Academy. The Wonderful Adventures of Nils (1906–1907) became internationally known. This book was written as a reader on Swedish geography for the public schools. Lagerlöf is still one of Sweden’s most popular writers.

Three Ancient Norse Gods

Karl XIV Johan ordered three ancient Norse gods in a colossal format by sculptor Bengt Erland Fogelberg, working in Rome. Odin arrived in Stockholm in 1831, with Thor and Balder delivered in 1845, one year after the king died. When Nationalmuseum opened in 1866 all three stood in the entrance hall.

During the 19th century, ancient Norse motifs were used to strengthen the national self-image after the loss of Finland in 1809. People wanted to safeguard the right to self-rule, and found an idealized image in ancient times, characterized by freedom. The French marshal Jean Baptiste Bernadotte was compared to Odin when he was elected crown prince.

Odin was the most powerful god in Norse mythology. Sculptor Bengt Erland Fogelberg combined the antique Jupiter of Otricoli (in the Vatican) with Roman representations of Germanic warriors. Odin with Hugin (thought) and Munin (memory) on his helmet became a mixture of classic and Norse ideals. Karl XIV Johan, who ordered the sculpture, had just like Odin come to the land of the Æsir to become its ruler.