Ceramics
In 1891, Willumsen ventured into ceramics for the first time. He approached the medium as a self-taught novice, learning through trial and error. His kilns were homemade and wood-fired, making temperature control difficult and the working process both demanding and risky. Reaching temperatures of up to approximately 1,400 degrees Celsius, the kilns also posed a genuine fire hazard. Yet it was precisely this unpredictability that appealed to Willumsen during a period when he was above all seeking new artistic directions.
As work began on the ambitious project The Great Relief during these years, Willumsen intended to execute the entire relief in glazed ceramics. The project therefore became a decisive driving force behind his ceramic production as a whole, requiring the construction of larger kilns and significant adjustments to his techniques in order to fire the relief’s monumental figures. However, Willumsen set aside the work on the relief around 1900 and did not resume it until several years later.
From 1897 to 1900, he served as Artistic Director at the porcelain manufacturer Bing & Grøndahl, where his bold experiments challenged the company’s traditional approach to underglaze decoration. With the support of the factory’s specialists, he was also able to explore the possibilities of glazes in a more systematic manner. This is evident in several recipe books in which he carefully recorded chemical compositions, firing temperatures, and the sometimes surprising visual results. Willumsen was not merely interested in decorating surfaces; rather, he sought to merge colour, form, and texture into a more unified artistic expression. Thus, even within this more industrial setting, he remained true to his experimental spirit.
