Architectmade Wooden Optimist or Pessimist by Hans Bolling. Is your glass half-empty or half-full? Hans Bølling created both of the two characters having been inspired by his co-workers, who were like night and day, yin and yang, truly exact opposites.
There is, however, a bit of each in all of us. The Optimist and the Pessimist remind us of this quality within us and together they create a stability much needed in the every-day life.
What is more, both characters can express much more than positivity or negativity.
The Pessimist features droopy eyes, while the Optimist has a big smile on his face and both feature bendable arms that can exclaim in joy or lower in frown.
Whether you are one or the other, the Optimist and the Pessimist express the possibility of change of your perception, depending on your current state of mind.
Hans B?lling was born in 1931 in a small town of Braband in
Denmark, he attended an Art- and Handcraft School originally to become an
advertising designer, however some years later he followed his passion for
archi-tecture and graduated as an architect from the Royal Danish Art Academy.
He designed a plethora of art works, ranging from dolls and furniture to villas,
living complexes and town halls.
The Duck came to life in the 1950s during the Bølling’s younger years, following
the architect’s designs of flowers and weeds from the Botanical Garden. Here he
decided to create small figures of ballerinas, trolls and musicians for his
loved ones. Later, after winning an award he received a carpentry machine, which
afforded him the opportunity to carve his beloved figures into wood. It is at
this point during the Danish spring that the Duck, and later its offspring – the
Duckling, were born.