Povl Goltermann Olsen Søndergaard, usually known as Povl Søndergaard, (4 June 1905,
Ringsted
Ringsted is a city located centrally in the Danish island of Zealand. It is the seat of a municipality of the same name.
Ringsted is situated approximately from Copenhagen.
History
Ringsted was the site of ''Sjællands Landsting'' (lit. ''Z ...
— 19 September 1986,
Frederikssund
Frederikssund () is a Denmark, Danish town, seat of the Frederikssund Municipality, in the Capital Region of Denmark, Region Hovedstaden with a population of 17,583 (1 January 2025). ) was a Danish sculptor. He is remembered for his lifelike busts, his female figures and for monuments such as the ''Memorial to the Fallen'' in
Bispebjerg Cemetery
Bispebjerg Cemetery ( Danish: Bispebjerg Kirkegård), established in 1903 on the moderately graded north slope of Bispebjerg Hill, is the newest of five municipal cemeteries in Copenhagen, Denmark. The main entrance to the cemetery is located ne ...
.
Early life
The son of the painter
Ole Søndergaard, Povl Søndergaard learnt stonemasonry in
Roskilde
Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 53,354 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...
(1920–24) before serving an apprenticeship with
Svend Rathsack at the Maritime Monument on Copenhagen's
Langelinie
Langelinie ( English: Long Line) is a pier, promenade and park in central Copenhagen, Denmark, and home of ''The Little Mermaid'' statue. The area has for centuries been a popular destination for excursions and strolls in Copenhagen. Most cruise ...
(1920–24). After attending the Technical School (1925–26), he studied sculpture under
Einar Utzon-Frank
Aksel (Axel) Einar (Ejnar) Utzon-Frank (30 March 1888 – 15 July 1955) was a Danish sculptor and professor at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. During his lifetime, he produced many sculptures, some of which stand as public monuments. U ...
at the
Danish Academy
Danish Academy is an independent organisation founded in 1960 by a circle of Danish intellectuals "to promote Danish esprit and language, especially within the field of literature". It has up to 20 members, currently 18, and is based at Rungstedl ...
(1927–33).
[Dorthe Falcon Møller, "Povl Søndergaard"]
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs kunstnerleksikon''. . Retrieved 22 February 2012.
Career
Sondergaard's early works are inspired by
Kai Nielsen's lush approach, resulting in naturalistic figures and busts such as ''Pige, der sætter sit hår'' (Girl Setting her Hair, 1931) and ''Siddende pige'' (Seated Girl, 1933). Later he found a simpler, more natural idiom of his own. He preferred working with granite although several of his official works were crafted in bronze. These include his ''Mand og pige'' (Man and Girl, 1934) on Copenhagen's Genforeningspladsen, depicting two figures walking boldly into the future while looking lovingly at one another. Their attitudes and clothing are typical of the way young people were viewed in the 1930s. His ''Sportspige'' (Sports Girl, 1939) and ''Knud Rasmussen'' monument (1963) near
Charlottenlund
Charlottenlund is a suburban area on the coast north of Copenhagen, Denmark. It is the administrative seat of Gentofte Municipality. Bordered to the east by the Øresund, to the South by Hellerup and to the north by Klampenborg, it is one of the ...
present a more robust and somewhat simpler approach with figures exuding calmness and restraint. The same can be said of the (Memorial to the Fallen, 1947) in Bispebjerg Cemetery and of (The Wounded Freedom Fighter, 1950) in
Kolding
Kolding () is a Denmark, Danish seaport city located at the head of Kolding Fjord in the Region of Southern Denmark. It is the seat of Kolding Municipality. It is a transportation, commercial, and manufacturing centre and has numerous industria ...
, both in granite. His busts bear the same clarity and firmness, always highlighting the particular characteristics of the individuals concerned.
[
Søndergaard was also the driving force behind the Atelier Houses (''Aterlierhusene'') in ]Bispebjerg
Bispebjerg, more commonly referred to as Nordvest (English: North-West), is one of the 10 official districts of Copenhagen Municipality, Denmark. Located on the northern border of the municipality, it covers an area of 5.39 km2 and a populat ...
which provided simple, inexpensive accommodation for artists during the difficult years of the Second World War
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. Completed in 1943, the three rows of two-storey terraced houses near Utterslev Lake were specially designed to contain small studios with plenty of daylight."Aterlierhusene, Grønnemose Allé"
''Kulturarv.dk''. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sondergaard, Povl
Danish sculptors
1905 births
1986 deaths
Sculptors from Copenhagen
20th-century Danish sculptors
People from Frederikssund Municipality
Danish male sculptors