The naked couple to the right stands out clearly and is the climax of the relief. In fact, they are almost on their way out of the picture. The couple is almost melted together. They are a golden symbol of the symbiosis of love. They look ahead with their arms raised. She in a defensive movement - as if in an attempt to protect their love bubble. Maybe she is afraid of being caught by the wave, which can at any time pull them out where they cannot touch bottom.
The man behind
The Great Relief is created by multi-artist J.F. Willumsen and is considered his very best sculpture. Willumsen's personal and expressive art and droll mixture of materials stood out from the expressions of his time. Even today his works seem modern.
In The Great Relief Willumsen has reproduced the feelings and conditions of a human being in the course of a lifetime through bodies in all kinds of possible and impossible positions. Join the journey and discover the meaning of the individual figures. A hint: the bright sides of life to the right and the dark sides to the left.
Trine Moeller Madsen is a writer on art and cultural affairs and an author. Among her works is "KUNST" ("Art") (Gyldendal, 2004), a textbook on image analysis for the oldest students in the Danish Folkeskole.
The Great Relief, 1893-1928
Photo: Bent Ryberg, 1997. © J.F. Willumsen/ COPY- DAN Billedkunst 20060164