Comment on Thorvaldsen's Spoken and Written Language

Here is Thiele’s description of the very young Thorvaldsen at the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen: “He spoke very little, with answers that were short and to the point. Much as his answers today are not infrequently sharpened epigrammatically, then too they were often, in their direct naturalness, humorously on the mark. When he stood at his easel, he was so silent, so taciturn, that he seldom answered ‘yes’ or ‘no,’ if it sufficed to nod or shake his head. If asked for advice or help about a drawing, he would respond, after a quick but gently perceptive look at the matter, merely by pointing a finger.”

Last updated 08.10.2014