One of the artistic highlights of Norway is the Sculpture Park in Oslo. The park

contains 192 sculptures with more than 600 figures, all modeled in full size by

Gustav Vigeland without the assistance of pupils or other artists. Vigeland also

designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds. The initial point of

the park sculptures was the Fountain, initially erected in 1907 in front of

Stortingent, the Norwegian Parliament. In 1924, Vigeland moved the Fountain to

Frogner Park, and started the addition of the granite groups and the Monolith. In

1931 followed a renewal of the bridge over the Frogner ponds with the addition of

numerous sculptures on the parapets and grounds. For the rest of his life, Vigeland

continued to model new sculptures for the park until his death in 1943.

The Monolith

The column, 14.12 meters (46 feet) high carved out of a

single block of stone, consists of 121 figures. Modeled by

Vigeland in the years 1924-25, it took three stone carvers

from 1929 to 1943 to complete the Monolith, just shortly

before Vigeland died. The column is completely covered by

human figures in relief, singly or in groups. At the bottom

there are seemingly inert bodies. Above them figures ascent

in a spiral, the movement halting midway and then rising at a

fast pace towards the summit which is covered by small

children. Various interpretations of the Monolith have been

suggested: Man's resurrection, the struggle for existence,

Man's yearning for for spiritual spheres, the transcendence of everyday life and cyclic repetition.

Surrounding the Monolith are 36 groups in granite depicting the cycle of life. Every sculpture includes at least two figures depicting Man in a variety of typical human situations and relationships. A man adn woman sit facing one another with a little child between them. Children play, young men and women dream and embrace. Old age is represented in several groups. The groups show a certain variation in composition and form. Initially, Vigeland wanted to retain the volume of the granite block. The figures from this early period are broad ans simple with a minimal of detail. Later, however, he introduced greater differentiation of composition and figure style and more space was allowed between figures. Although a skilled carver himself, Vigeland did not sculpt directly in granite. He modeled the groups in full size and employed professional artisans to do the time-consuming work of transferrring the original models into stone.

Man, woman and child

Mother and children

3 sculptures by the monolith

Body square

Babies

Foreheads touching

Man and woman

Girls

Old man holding woman

Oldcouple

The Fountain is the earliest sculpture unit in the park. In the center of the fountain six giants hold the large saucer-shaped vessel aloft and from it a curtain of water spills down around them. The men, representing different ages, may be interpreted as toiling with the burden of life and the effort expended in lifting the heavy vessel varies. Water, a universal symbol of fertility, is used within the fountain complex in a meaningful juxtaposition with the twenty "tree groups" on the surrounding parapet, the latter evidently symbolizing the "tree of life."The combination of human beings and trees in two meter high sculptures is one of Vigeland's most original concepts. The tree groups represent a romantic expression of Man's relationship to nature. The also form the setting for life's evolving stages, stretching from childhood and adolescence through adulthood to old age and death.

Fountain child

Girl diving

Girls under tree

Old woman and child

The Bridge

58 bronze sculptures on granite parapets (1926-1933) stand on either side of the Bridge portraying people of widely differing ages, although there is less emphasis on old age than others in the park. Many characteristic representations of children are noticeable. Dominant motifs among the groups are the relationships between man and woman and between adults and children. In one sculpture you find a bronze wheel enclosing a man and woman linked together in a rotating movement. The circle being a well-known symbol of eternity, the sculpture may indicate the constant attraction and love between the sexes or a figurative version of the Eastern symbol of

"Yin and Yang."

Two boys run

Circle

Crying boy

(Sinnataggen)

Father and child

Man and boys

Smiling boy

Hope you enjoyed the tour and that it inspires you to further study of the magnificent sculptor Gustav Vigeland and the monumental artistic heritage he has left us.