Amandus Adamson
Encyclopedia
Amandus Heinrich Adamson (12 November 1855, Uuga-Rätsepa, near Paldiski
– 26 June 1929, Paldiski) was an Estonia
n sculptor and painter.
under Alexander Bock. After graduation he continued to work as a sculptor and teacher in St. Petersburg, with an interruption from 1887 through 1891 to study in Paris
and Italy
, influenced by the French sculptors Jules Dalou
and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
.
Adamson produced his best-known work in 1902. His Russalka Memorial
, dedicated to the 177 lost sailors of the Ironclad warship Russalka
, features a bronze angel on a slender column. The other work is architectural. His four allegorical bronzes for the Elisseeff department store
in St. Petersburg (for architect Gavriil Baranovsky
), and the French-style caryatids and finial figures for the Singer House
(for architect Pavel Suzor
) are major components of the "Russian Art Nouveau
" visible along Nevsky Prospekt
.
He was named an academician of the Imperial Academy in 1907. In 1918, in the context of the Russian Revolution and the Estonian War of Independence, Adamson returned to his home town of Paldiski
in northwestern Estonia
, where he spent the rest of his life.
and the Crimea
, as well as architectural sculpture, allegorical
figures, and portraits.
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri peninsula of north-western Estonia. Originally a Swedish settlement known as Rågervik, it became a Russian naval base in the 18th century. The Russians renamed it Балтийский Порт Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the...
– 26 June 1929, Paldiski) was an Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
n sculptor and painter.
Life
Born into a seafaring family, Adamson excelled in wood carving as a child. He moved to St. Petersburg in 1875 to study at the Imperial Academy of ArtsImperial Academy of Arts
The Russian Academy of Arts, informally known as the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, was founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov under the name Academy of the Three Noblest Arts. Catherine the Great renamed it the Imperial Academy of Arts and commissioned a new building, completed 25 years later in 1789...
under Alexander Bock. After graduation he continued to work as a sculptor and teacher in St. Petersburg, with an interruption from 1887 through 1891 to study in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, influenced by the French sculptors Jules Dalou
Jules Dalou
Aimé-Jules Dalou was a French sculptor, recognized as one of the most brilliant virtuosos of nineteenth-century France, admired for his perceptiveness, execution, and unpretentious realism.-Life:...
and Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux
Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux was a French sculptor and painter.Born in Valenciennes, Nord, son of a mason, his early studies were under François Rude. Carpeaux entered the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in 1844 and won the Prix de Rome in 1854, and moving to Rome to find inspiration, he there studied the works of...
.
Adamson produced his best-known work in 1902. His Russalka Memorial
Russalka Memorial
The Russalka Memorial is a bronze monument sculpted by Amandus Adamson, erected on 7 September 1902 in Kadriorg, Tallinn to memorize the ninth anniversary of the sinking of the Russian warship Rusalka....
, dedicated to the 177 lost sailors of the Ironclad warship Russalka
Russian monitor Rusalka
The Russalka , was an ironclad monitor of the Imperial Russian Navy, built in St. Petersburg in 1865-1867...
, features a bronze angel on a slender column. The other work is architectural. His four allegorical bronzes for the Elisseeff department store
Eliseyev Emporium (Saint Petersburg)
Elisseeff Emporium in St. Petersburg is a large retail and entertainment complex constructed in 1902-1903 for the Elisseeff Brothers. Located at 56 Nevsky Prospekt, the complex consists of three buildings, although the corner one is the structure that is referred to as Elisseeff’s store or shop...
in St. Petersburg (for architect Gavriil Baranovsky
Gavriil Baranovsky
Gavriil Vasilyevich Baranovsky was a Ukrainian-born Russian architect, civil engineer, art historian and publisher, who worked primarily in Saint Petersburg for the Elisseeff family, but also practiced in Moscow and produced the first town plan for Murmansk .-Education and early career:Born in...
), and the French-style caryatids and finial figures for the Singer House
Singer House
Singer House , also widely known as House of Books is a historical landmark building located at intersection of Nevsky Prospekt with Griboyedov Canal, just opposite to the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia...
(for architect Pavel Suzor
Pavel Suzor
Pavel Yulievich Suzor was a Russian architect, president of the Architects Society and count.Suzor graduated from the Saint Petersburg Imperial Academy of Arts in 1866. He started to work for the city council in 1873, and in 1883 he started to teach at the Saint Petersburg Institute of Civil...
) are major components of the "Russian Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
" visible along Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Prospekt
Nevsky Avenue |Prospekt]]) is the main street in the city of St. Petersburg, Russia. Planned by Peter the Great as beginning of the road to Novgorod and Moscow, the avenue runs from the Admiralty to the Moscow Railway Station and, after making a turn at Vosstaniya Square, to the Alexander...
.
He was named an academician of the Imperial Academy in 1907. In 1918, in the context of the Russian Revolution and the Estonian War of Independence, Adamson returned to his home town of Paldiski
Paldiski
Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the Pakri peninsula of north-western Estonia. Originally a Swedish settlement known as Rågervik, it became a Russian naval base in the 18th century. The Russians renamed it Балтийский Порт Paldiski is a town and Baltic Sea port situated on the...
in northwestern Estonia
Estonia
Estonia , officially the Republic of Estonia , is a state in the Baltic region of Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland, to the west by the Baltic Sea, to the south by Latvia , and to the east by Lake Peipsi and the Russian Federation . Across the Baltic Sea lies...
, where he spent the rest of his life.
Works
The work of Adamson varies in style and material. He sculpted monuments in Estonia, Saint PetersburgSaint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
and the Crimea
Crimea
Crimea , or the Autonomous Republic of Crimea , is a sub-national unit, an autonomous republic, of Ukraine. It is located on the northern coast of the Black Sea, occupying a peninsula of the same name...
, as well as architectural sculpture, allegorical
Allegory
Allegory is a demonstrative form of representation explaining meaning other than the words that are spoken. Allegory communicates its message by means of symbolic figures, actions or symbolic representation...
figures, and portraits.
- Fisherman from the Island of MuhuMuhuMuhu , is an island in the Baltic Sea. With an area of 198 km² it is the third largest island belonging to Estonia, after Saaremaa and Hiiumaa....
(plaster, 1892) - In Anxious Expectation (bronze, 1897)
- allegorical sculptureAllegorical sculptureAllegorical sculpture refers to sculptures that symbolize and particularly personify abstract ideas as in allegory.Common in the western world, for example, are statues of 'Justice', a female figure traditionally holding scales in one hand, as a symbol of her weighing issues and arguments, and a...
s of Commerce, Industry, Science and Arts on the façade of Elisseeff EmporiumEliseyev Emporium (Saint Petersburg)Elisseeff Emporium in St. Petersburg is a large retail and entertainment complex constructed in 1902-1903 for the Elisseeff Brothers. Located at 56 Nevsky Prospekt, the complex consists of three buildings, although the corner one is the structure that is referred to as Elisseeff’s store or shop...
in St.Petersburg (bronze, 1902) - The Russalka MemorialRussalka MemorialThe Russalka Memorial is a bronze monument sculpted by Amandus Adamson, erected on 7 September 1902 in Kadriorg, Tallinn to memorize the ninth anniversary of the sinking of the Russian warship Rusalka....
, KadriorgKadriorgKadriorg is a subdistrict in the district of Kesklinn , Tallinn, the capital of Estonia. It has a population of 3,333 . Kadriorg means "Catherine's Valley" in Estonian, this derives from the Catherinethal, a Baroque palace of Catherine I of Russia.-External links:**...
, 1902 - allegorical sculpture for the Singer HouseSinger HouseSinger House , also widely known as House of Books is a historical landmark building located at intersection of Nevsky Prospekt with Griboyedov Canal, just opposite to the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia...
. St. Petersburg, 1902-1904 - Boats Lost at Sea, SevastopolSevastopolSevastopol is a city on rights of administrative division of Ukraine, located on the Black Sea coast of the Crimea peninsula. It has a population of 342,451 . Sevastopol is the second largest port in Ukraine, after the Port of Odessa....
, 1904 - Monument to the Estonian War of Liberation (1928, destroyed 1945)
- Monument to the Estonian poetess Lydia KoidulaLydia KoidulaLydia Emilie Florentine Jannsen, , known after her pen name Lydia Koidula was an Estonian poet. Her sobriquet means ‘Lydia of the Dawn’ in Estonian. It was given her by the writer Carl Robert Jakobson...
(1929, Pärnu)