Our visit to Norway on 1st June 2010
THE VIGELAND PARK, OSLO,NORWAY
The Vigeland Park in Norway is the largest sculpture park made by one single artist in the world. The unique sculpture park is Gustav Vigeland's lifework with more than 200 sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron and was mainly completed between 1939 and 1949. Clay was Vigeland’s chosen material. In soft clay he could work quickly. He would free-hand model the full-scale sculptures based on small three-dimensional sketches. He occasionally used a grid to guide him. Then professional craftsmen did the carving in granite and casting in bronze.
Most of the sculptures are placed in five units along an 850 meter long axis: The Main gate, the Bridge with the Children's playground, the Fountain, the Monolith plateau and the Wheel of Life.
1.THE MAIN GATE
The Main Gate in granite and wrought iron marks the beginning of the long axis. The Main Gate consists of five large gates and two small pedestrian gates in wrought iron. Railings curve outwards on each side and end in two copper-roofed gate houses, topped by guilded weather vanes.
2.THE BRIDGE
The 100 m long and 15 m wide bridge, lined with lanterns and sculptures on the granite parapets, is built on top of an old bridge. There are 58 sculptures in bronze. These include a rich variety of children, women and men in different ages, some alone, others in groups. Dominant motifs are the relationships between man and woman, adults and children. Stationary figures that flank the cube formed lanterns alternate with dynamic groups. By the run of the waterfall the bridge widens to each side and is marked with figures surrounded by massive bronze wheels. Here you will also find Sinnataggen, the little Angry Boy.In spite of his size, the little angry boy is one of the most popular figures in the park.
There are four tall granite columns portraying humans fighting lizards. These show demons in absolute control of their victims.
Below the bridge is a circular playground with eight bronze sculptures of small children. In the centre, mounted on a small granite column, is the figure of an unborn child.
3.THE FOUNTAIN
In the Fountain, the principal theme is the cycle of life, in which Man is depicted in a variety of typical human situations and relationships.
The fountain is surrounded by 20 tree groups. Beneath the crown of the trees the life of man, from cradle to grave, unfolds. After the tree group, the skeleton which is about to decay in nature, and a tree full of children follows.On the outer circle around tthe pool,there are about 60 bronze reliefs.
3. THE MONOLITH
On the highest point of the park, on the Monolith Plateau, rise circular stairs towards the Monolith. The Monolith with 121 figures is 14.12 m and the total height, including the plinth, is 17.3 m high. The Monolith was carved from one single granite block, hence the name (mono: one, litho: stone).
Vigeland modelled it in full size in clay . It only took him ten months. Thereafter it was cast in plaster. The autumn of 1926 a granite block weighing hundreds of tons was transported by sea up the Oslofjord from a stone quarry near Halden. The block arrived its destination in the early 1927 and was erected the following year. It took three stone carvers 14 years to finish the work.
Monolith is supposed to represent man's longing and yearning for the spiritual and divine. People are drawn towards heaven, not only characterised by sadness and controlled despair, but also delight and hope, next to a feeling of togetherness, carefully holding one another tight in this strange sense of salvation.
There are sculptures of 36 figure groups on the Monolith Plateau.
4. THE WHEEL OF LIFE
The Wheel of Life was modelled in clay and then a master copy was cast in plaster. Then smiths made an iron armature in full scale of three metres in diameter. The large bronze "Wheel of Life," is composed of figures swirling in an eternal circle.
