200 / 221
GREAT DANISH FLORA
JenS'Møller-JenserVs scrolls and flourishes
The tall Copenhagen City Hall Tower with the golden dials, resembling almost
the old-fashioned tram tickets, was difficult for Arne Jacobsen, that international
advocate of functionalism, to compete with when he was forced to add a tower
to Århus City Hall a generation later.
In contrast, the atmosphere of blood and earth that during the Second World
War prompted such a political demand from the locals in Jutland was quite
acceptable at the time when Martin Nyrop and the decorative painter Jens
Moller-Jensen found mental, artistic and spiritual inspiration on the refreshing
Danish sea shores in the effort to give Copenhagen City Hall its identity.
In this they were not alone at the turn of the century. In his novel »Einar
Elkær« from 1898 the Danish writer Johannes V. Jensen created several sentimental
farming tableaux contrasting with the spleen and technology of the new century:
»Now and then something would move in the dark forests of sea weed reached
by the sun, an olive-coloured fish was winding in and out down there - Betty
called Einar over and showed him a school of large plaice moving across the
sandy sea bed, the red spots could be seen through the green colour of the
water.«
Both colours and shapes could be a description of Jens Moller-Jensen’s
ornamentation in Martin Ny rop’s City Hall.
At first sight the architect’s obvious desire for some Danish characteristics seems
strange, for why should the building be more democratic for sporting motifs
inspired by domestic strands? However, the then 50-year-old Danish constitution
from 1849 was also more Danish in spirit than French or Greek, was it not?
So no Roman acanthus leaves or Parisian Pantheon masks were chosen to
adorn the façades and halls but rather bladder wrack and blossoming thistles to
lend life to the monument. These, as well as stone portraits of the involved
workmen or officials with large ears, made this Italian-inspired building into a
vigilant and thoroughly Danish symbol of administration.
The City Hall, with its profusion of ornamentation and reliefs, seems inspired
by John Ruskin and the Socialist William Morris’ English Arts-and-Crafts
Movement from the 19th century, but in Martin Nyrop’s City Hall the emulation
of Oxford colleges is transformed into a Viking-like ambience in the back wing
and an Italian festive atmosphere under the huge modern glass roof in the Main
Hall in the front of the building.
Ornamentation was the thing, or decoration, which by no means should be
confused with frippery and finery, but which at its best can be perceived as
representing a manifesto, a view of life and society. And Martin Nyrop showed
the way with drafts for furniture and lamps and decorative details. And that is
why Copenhagen’s new city hall never came to resemble the international
Glyptotek, built by the Carlsberg Breweries on the other side of the boulevard.
2 0 2