The Spirit of Vitalism

Book excerpt: This richly illustrated book outlines the strong Vitalistic movement in Denmark during the period 1890-1940. This movement emerged as a response to the rationalism and one-sided intellectualism of a rigid, bourgeois, or decadent culture of the 19th century. It constituted a number of cultural currents that were manifested in philosophy, art, and everyday life, with an emphasis on the energy of youth, the dynamic personality, and the potential of the body. Viewed in the wider perspective, the aim of Vitalism's cult of the body was a revitalization that was to benefit not only the individual human being, but the whole of culture. Although the Vitalistic themes emanated from modern life, they also drew artistic sustenance from Nordic mythology and Greek antiquity, which served as the most important ideals in the modern pursuit of both physical and spiritual beauty. Additionally, the book highlights the prevalence of the interest in health and exercise and an increased attentiveness to hyg