The white hero

Bertel Thorvaldsen loved the art and ideals of ancient Greece and Rome. Like many other contemporary artists, he was obsessed with Rome where he lived for the most of life. In Rome he was close to the two ancient sculptures, The Spearman (approx. 450 b.c.) and the Belvedere Apollo (approx 140 b.c.). Both are obvious models for Jason.

Art of balance
Thorvaldsen froze Jason somewhere between calm and movement. The struggle is over, and the hero is on his way back with his spoils over his arm. Jason expresses both physical and mental calmness. He is the prototype of the classical hero.

The sculpture itself is in perfect balance. No matter where the eyes venture, you will find a corresponding element - vertically, horizontally or diagonally. Take for example the lance/the chest strap, the fleece/the tree stump and the curled tip of the helmet's cockscomb/the ram's horn.

Almost too sensual
Notice the contrast between Jason's smooth, muscular body and the curly, loose fleece that nearly touches the thigh. It is sensual - and almost inappropriate in an era when sensuality was suppressed in favour of intellectual virtues. The art was to inspire people to become better human beings. With their heads - not their body. Thorvaldsen did shift to cooler expressions in his later works.

Although Jason was almost too sensual and exciting for the respectable citizens of the time, the sculpture immediately placed Thorvaldsen in the Premier League of European art. His pure neo-classicism was since to found a school both in Denmark and abroad. Jason's beautiful, athletic body became the male ideal in art and set the standard for Danish sculpture far into the future.

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.