Early Life and Artistic Training
Born in Copenhagen, Denmark, on 4 April 1939, Hans Christian Rylander was a man of diverse creative disciplines, working as a painter, graphic artist, sculptor, and image artist. His early years were marked by a formal commitment to the mechanics of instruction, as he completed a teacher's exam in 1963. This pedagogical foundation would later merge with his visual practice, leading him to earn a cand.phil. in art pedagogy in 1969.
His formal artistic development took place at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, where he studied from 1965 to 1969. During this formative period, he was a student of Egill Jacobsen and Helge Bertram, honing a technical precision that would support his later expressive tendencies. His education was not confined to the classroom; he sought broader perspectives through study in Italy and France, absorbing the light and traditions of the continent before returning to his Danish roots.
Artistic Style and Techniques
Rylander’s visual language was defined by an expressive and dissolved surrealism that gained significant momentum throughout the 1970s and 1980s. His work often carried a sharp, critical edge directed toward the structures of society. He frequently utilized pastose layers to build texture, sometimes merging the boundaries between mediums so that his paintings and sculptures functioned as a single, unified entity. This approach allowed him to move beyond the flat surface, incorporating three-dimensional installations and sculptural elements into his compositions.
The imagery in his oeuvre was frequently preoccupied with the fragility of the human condition. He depicted tormented faces, severed body parts, and various fragments of the human form, often exploring themes of physical and psychological damage. These unsettling motifs were sometimes set against an idyllic, almost pastoral background, creating a tension between the serenity of the setting and the suffering of the subjects. His compositions frequently featured disrobed women and a recurring cast of animals, including the wolf, hare, ram, and vulture.
Major Commissions and Public Works
Rylander’s career was marked by a significant engagement with the public sphere, most notably through his extensive work for Christian IV's Supply Depot at Slotsholmen in Copenhagen. This undertaking, known as the Provianthuset decoration, was a massive undertaking that spanned nearly 100 meters. The project encompassed the foyer and twelve niches of the ambulatory, utilizing a diverse material palette that included painting, stucco, marble, lead, granite, concrete, glass, plaster, and bronze. It was a work of immense scale and physical presence.
His reach extended into various civic and educational spaces across Denmark. In 1968, he contributed a gavlmaleri in Brande. His relationship with the University of Southern Denmark was also defined by specific works created in 1986, including the sculpture Jernaldergud and a series of four paintings titled Primus Inter Pares. These pieces demonstrated his ability to move between the two-dimensional plane and three-dimensional form.
Other institutional contributions included works for the Helsinge Rådhus and the Retten i Næstved. These commissions reflected a steady presence in the architectural fabric of the country, placing his expressive vision within the functional environments of law and local governance.
Exhibitions and Professional Memberships
Rylander’s career was deeply intertwined with the collective life of the Danish art community. He was an active participant in several influential groups, joining Koloristerne in 1968. His commitment to the professional landscape of his peers led him to Decembristerne in 1969, a group he would eventually lead as Chairman. Later, in 1981, he became a member of Den Blå Citron, further cementing his presence within the institutional fabric of Danish art.
His work found its way into several significant museum spaces over the decades. He held an exhibition at the Randers Museum of Art in 1995. The year 2004 saw his pieces presented at both the Storstrøms Kunstmuseum, also known as the Fuglsang Art Museum, and the Vejle Museum of Art. His presence in the public eye continued into his later years, with an exhibition at the Thorvaldsens Museum in 2013.
Later Years and Death
The later decades of Rylander's life were marked by a continued presence in the Danish art community and significant professional recognition. In 1984, he was awarded the Eckersberg Medal, a distinction that acknowledged his standing within the artistic landscape. His influence extended beyond the canvas through his various roles in art administration and his advocacy for the rights of fellow artists.
In 1996, he moved to Lollikegården at Skovleddet 2 on the island of Bogø, where he remained until his passing. This period of his life saw him settled in a setting that offered a different pace from the urban centers of his earlier career. He lived there for twenty-five years, maintaining his connection to his craft from this residence.
Hans Christian Rylander died on 23 December 2021 in Nykøbing Falster, Denmark. He was 82 years old at the time of his death. His passing marked the end of a long career defined by a commitment to both the creation of art and the structural support of the artistic profession in Denmark.
