Works
He had a rich fantasy, and his compositions were easy and natural. His works were tasteful, and influenced by both his French Baroque training and his careful study of and appreciation for late Greek and Roman art. He was well-versed in the use of classical allegory and symbols, especially those having to do with death.
He was also inspired by Nordic mythology and ancient, Viking and Icelandic sagas, and made many drawings based on these.
Sculptures and reliefs attributed to him and his studio have been lost to time, and are sometimes only evidenced by sketches and engravings.
His works are a part of the royal households and gardens. Those in the gardens are the largest collections of his works in one place. He viewed his garden decorations as creating an outdoors theatre presentation relating to the surrounding trees of various types, to figure groups of sculptures and to decorative columns and obelisks. He had a sense of the developing romantic garden.
His memorial monuments are spread out in churches throughout Denmark, with the royal monuments at Roskilde Cathedral. Many of these monuments can be found at Assistens Cemetery in Copenhagen.
His drawings are also highly esteemed. He illustrated a deluxe edition of Ludvig Holberg's "Peder Paars" in 1772, engravings for which were made by Johan Frederik Clemens, who collaborated with Wiedewelt on several projects. He also made illustrations for a book by Peder Topp Wandal on the Jægerspris Castle project in 1783. Clemens also engraved these illustrations,
Wiedewelt, along with architect Harsdorff, was one of the primary figures responsible for introducing Neoclassicism to Denmark. He was highly esteemed by his contemporaries and by those artists who followed. He is considered an important transitional figure leading to future generations of Danish artists.
He was a learned man, very cultivated. He had a large library of books covering many subjects, which often served as a source of inspiration. He is known to have had a dark satirical sense of humour, which came out in his drawings.
As professor at the Academy he introduced his Neoclassical theories to artistic students. Among his many students was Nikolaj Abraham Abildgaard, future Director of the Academy and instructor for Bertel Thorvaldsen, and undoubtedly Danmark's most renowned sculptor.
Read more about this topic: Johannes Wiedewelt
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“I divide all literary works into two categories: Those I like and those I don’t like. No other criterion exists for me.”
—Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (1860–1904)
“That man’s best works should be such bungling imitations of Nature’s infinite perfection, matters not much; but that he should make himself an imitation, this is the fact which Nature moans over, and deprecates beseechingly. Be spontaneous, be truthful, be free, and thus be individuals! is the song she sings through warbling birds, and whispering pines, and roaring waves, and screeching winds.”
—Lydia M. Child (1802–1880)