May 10, 2010 <Back to Index>
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Carl Eldh (May 10, 1873 – January 26, 1954) was a Swedish artist and sculptor. Full name: Carl Johan Eldh (signs on artwork as "C.J. ELDH"). Older brother to Albert Eldh. Eldh came from the Swedish Uppland, the son of a blacksmith. From 1897 through 1904 he studied sculpture at the Académie Colarossi in Paris, where the French sculptor Auguste Rodin inspired
him greatly. His first works were characterized by softer forms, but by
1916 he had developed a powerful realistic style, as with the
Strindberg Monument in Tegnérlunden in Stockholm. Strindberg was a frequent subject for Eldh. Carl Eldh ranks along Carl Milles with
the most popular Swedish sculptors of the first half of the 20th
Century. Eldh also produced architectural sculpture with renowned
Swedish architects, among them Ivar Tengbom, Erik Lallerstedt and Ragnar Östberg.
Östberg designed Eldh's own studio in Bellevue Park, in the north
of Stockholm, in 1918. And through Östberg, Eldh received the 1923
contract for park sculptures for the Stadshuspark. Adjacent to Stockholm City Hall,
between the building and the shore of Lake Mälaren's shore, the
park stands with Eldh's ensemble representing the three artists, August Strindberg for Authors, Gustaf Fröding for Poets, and Ernst Josephson for Painters, as well as Eldh's bronze sculptures
"Sången" and "Dansen" ("The Song" and "The Dance"). The nakedness
of the statues initially caused strong protests. Eldh’s major public works include the grand statue of Strindberg in Stockholm and the Branting Monument, also in Stockholm, which was first executed in plaster around 1930 and completed in 1952. The
Carl Eldh studio is now a public museum, Carl Eldh Ateljémuseum,
with two studio rooms stocked from floor to ceiling with drawings,
sculptures, tools and other personal belongings. A visit reflects not
on the creative activity of an individual sculptor, but allows direct
study of his era. |