Copenhagen

THE SIGHTS OF COPENHAGEN. THE THORVALDSEN MUSEUM .

Slotsholmen, between the huge ruins of C h ri­ stian sborg castle and the canal at Gamm el- strand, stands the Tho rvaldsen Museum , in po int of architecture one of the most charac- eristic build ing s of C openhagen. This un ique

tem ple of art contains the only complete collection of T h o r­ valdsen’s works, valuable no t merely from their intrinsic artistic merit, bu t as a contribution to the history of art. Thorvaldsen is a p re-em inen t representative of the so-called New-classic or Pseudo-classic style, w hich superseded the G rotesque style, and was in vogue d u rin g the first half of the 19th century. This has now itself been superseded by more naturalistic as well as m ore rom antic tendencies. But even though T ho rvald ­ sen’s style may seem strange and obsolete to people of the p re ­ sent day, it possesses so much simple beauty that every one with any feeling for art is instinctively captivated by it. N ow here do you get so complete and strong an impression of the New -classic style as in this museum , but you ough t to be at leisure when you visit it, and not hurry th rough it. A b andon ing yourself to the contemplation of some of the chief works, their beauty will ■g row upon you, and this art will becom e dear to yoii, because it speaks to you r soul in term s so straightforw ard and easily understood. The style did ( 4 ) - 49 -