page_title: Einar Jónsson
section_title: Style of sculpture
hierarchical_section_title: Einar Jónsson / Style of sculpture
caption_attribution_description: Einar Jónsson, myndhöggvari á vinnustofu sinni í Hnitbjörgum á Skólavörðuholti, 1923 - 1930. Reykjavík, Iceland, Einar Jónsson, sculptor, in his atelier, Hnitbjörg on Skólavörðustígur, 1923 – 1930. Format: Glass negatives. 10x15 cm. Rights Info: No known restrictions on publication. Repository: Ljósmyndasafn Reykjavíkur / Reykjavík Museum of Photography, Tryggvagata 15, 6. Hæð / 6th floor Númer myndar / Call Number: MAÓ 139 Reykjavík Museum of Photography´s photoweb: ljosmyndasafn.reykjavik.is/fotoweb/Grid.fwx
context_page_description: Einar Jónsson was an Icelandic sculptor, born in Galtafell, a farm in southern Iceland.
context_section_description: Einar's works fall into three general categories. First, there were the public monuments that he was commissioned by the government to produce. The second group was private commissions that he obtained, consisting of portraits and cemetery monuments. The third collection consisted of the private works that he labored over as he became increasingly and deeply spiritually attuned and reclusive. In this large body of works Einar's spiritual nature is clearly seen, though it is often difficult to describe. The themes for these works are frequently drawn from Christ's consciousness, deep Cosmic spirituality like the eternal, infinite body and consciousness of the universe or God, Icelandic Mythology (Understanding of the so-called Norse mythology or North-East, North-West and even Central-European War-Godhs mythology is just a part of Icelandic Mythology and understanding or description of these is mostly derived from the Icelandic one) and Icelandic folk tales.
  Einar's world is populated by Elfs, "Hidden people" or "Huldufolk", Vættir, Jötnar, angels and trolls, by beautiful women and bold warriors, and most of all a layer of symbolic content that can invariably be felt, but not always understood.
  A hint to some deeper meaning in Einar's powerful art is for example: "Karma" an eternal law of energy which returns all action towards its origin.
  Like in Christ's saying that one will reap what one has sown.
  That same law or eternal principle, changes the will and desires of the psyche or so to speak. This is because of the fed up condition or state of "mind" or psyche.
  One will eventually be tired and sick of destruction of nature or other people's lives and the desire for constructive live-giving actions will be dominant.
  One example of this is the sculpture "Skuld" where Einar uses Icelandic Mythological symbolism of "Urdur, Verdandi and Skuld" which were the witches of destiny or "Karma".
  There are also very positive hints in other pieces of Einar's masterful art, to that, that every being or lifeform is eternal in its essence and evolves and chances on the outer sides or layers or material sides of its consciousness like the body, thoughts and desire.
  This outer part or detail of the consciousness is not even understood in physics, phenomenon of time, space and matter that is to say.
  The connection of the soul or rather its eternal and unchangeable part or layer of the whole consciousness to the world of time, space and matter is even further away from understanding except with symbols, and eventually later on, and only with self experience.
  Henry Goddard Leach (see references) described Einar Jónsson like this:
  All things considered, Jonsson is unique in the world of art.
  If he had any prototype they were the symbolic artists of ancient
  Egypt. But Jonsson's nearest spiritual relative is William Blake.
  In recent years Einar's plasters have been cast in bronze and placed in the garden of his home and studio or in city parks in Reykjavík and throughout Iceland.
  He donated his work to the Einar Jónsson Museum in Reykjavík, which opened in 1923.
caption: The artist in studio, c. 1923 – 1930. The bas relief behind him is from his Jón Sigurðsson monument in Reykjavik
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