Skip navigation
The Genius of Light with Pegasus, A327
  • Production Date

    No earlier than June 1836 - No later than August 1836
  • Type of Work / Object

    Sculpture > Relief

Explanation

  • The word genius is usually used to mean a quite specially gifted person. In this case, however, genius does not imply a person, but mental strength or artistic creative power, which in fortunate cases can produce a person of outstanding ability. In Thorvaldsen’s day people often imagined this power, this genius, as a tiny boy. In the relief, the wings of the boy carrying the torch, however, suggest that he is not to be seen as a real boy, just as the wings on the horse behind him indicate that this is not a real horse either. Pegasus is the name given to such a winged fantasy creature in Greek mythology. The distribution of work between the two is such that genius lights the creative power of the outstanding artist, after which Pegasus lifts the artist to the peak of fame.