Last updated on 10 January 1999

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. A model was presented in 1907 to the city counsel and Gustav Vigeland was commissioned to make a Fountain. But as the time passed and not enough money was raised yet, Vigeland added many more sculptures to the project - granite sculptures that eventually were placed around the later Monolith. In 1924, the City of Oslo decided that the whole project should be fulfilled in the Frogner Park, later called Vigeland Park. 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.

Gustav Vigeland was born in 1869 in the south-coast town of Mandal in Norway. Vigeland's artistic talents were first revealed in his drawings and woodcarvings and at the age of fifteen, his father took him to Oslo to apprentice him to a master. The death of his father only two years later forced Vigeland to return to Mandal and relinquish all hopes of becoming a sculptor. In 1888, Vigeland was again back in the capital, this time taking with him a bundle of sketches for statues, groups and reliefs, their motifs mostly deriving from Greek mythology and the Bible. The sculptor, Brynjulf Bergslien, impressed by his drawings, took him into his studio and gave him his first practical training.

The work of Auguste Rodin, seen by Vigeland on visits to the artist's studio in Paris, made a perceptible impact. Rodin's intimate treatment of his relationship between man and woman was also influential in Vigeland's life-long development of this theme.

"I was a sculptor before I was born. I was driven and lashed onward by powerful forces outside myself. There was no other path, and no matter how hard I might have tried to find one, I would have been forced back again."

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.

---

The Monolith Plateau

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 and 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 and 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 transferring the original models into stone.

---

The Fountain

The Fountain is the earliest sculpture unit in the park. In the center of the basin, 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.

No. 4: 3 little girls standing around a tree

No. 5: Girl gliding down between the branches

No. 12: Baby sitting in the trees

No. 17: Old woman and small boy

20 Bronze Fontain Tree Groups

1. Swarm of 18 babies (geniuses)	8. Man standing behind woman	15. Angry man chasing children
2. Boy sitting in a tree, listening	9. Man embracing woman	16. Man clinging to the tree
3. Two boys climbing	10. Man standing under the tree: "The Dreamer"	17. Old woman and small boy
4. Three little girls standing around a tree	11. Woman sitting on animal-like tree	18. Old man and boy
5. Girl gliding down between the branches	12. Baby sitting in the tree	19. Old man sitting, clinging to the tree
6. Young woman leaning out of the tree	13. Man and woman plunging downwards, entwined by branches	20. Skeleton sitting in the tree
7. Young boy and girl, standing forehead to forehead	14. Man climbing the tree, his body horizontal

---

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."

	No. 50		No. IV	No. 28	No. 27
	No. 48			No. 24	No. 21
	No. 46			No. 20	No. 19
No. 38				No. 18		No. 16
No. 36				No. 15	No. 12
	No. 32			No. 9	No. 6
	No. II			No. 4	No. 3

58 Figures and Groups in Bronze on the Bridge

1. Boy with baby on his head	21. Man carrying woman in front of him	41. Man and woman dancing
2. Man carrying two babies	22. Young woman with clenched fists	42. Woman with hands behind her back
3. Man swinging boy	23. Young woman, head bent to the left	43. Woman with arms at her side
4. Woman with baby on her arm	24. Young woman, dancing	44. Man tilting woman over his head
5. Two girls behind each other	25. Man, hands faixed behind his neck	45. Man and woman against each other
6. Man running with a boy on his back	26.Man carrying boy around his neck	46. Angry little boy, crying
7. Girl facing woman	27. Man playing with four children (geniuses)	47. Man inside a ring
8. Girl with her hands on her head	28. Old man walking with little boy	48. Little girl, arms stretched out
9. Man lifting girl	29. Man with both hands on his chest	49. Man standing behind woman
10. Young man, hands behind his back	30. Girl with baby on her head	50. Man running
11. Man with arms crossed on his chest	31. Woman with baby in her arms	51. Woman with arms above her head
12. Old man hitting boy	32. Woman lifting baby in front of her	52. Woman laughing
13. Woman, hands in front of mouth	33. Little girl standing behind woman	53. Woman jumping up on a man
14. Elderly man and young man	34. Two boys looking up	54. Man with baby in his arms
15. Man lifting woman in front of him	35. Woman carrying sleeping child	55. Boy standing in front of man
16. Woman standing behind man	36. Girl standing in front of woman	56. Man lifting elderly man
17. Little girl, laughing	37. Young woman, hands on her hips	57. Old man with boy on his back
18. Man and woman inside a ring	38. Two boys running	58. Man looking to the right
19. Little boy looking to the side	39. Man with hands on his hips
20. Man standing behind woman	40. Young man with arms at his sides

4 Lizard Groups in Granite on the Corners of the Bridge
I. Lizard embracing a woman
II. Man fighting small lizard
III. Man fighting lizard
IV. Lizard clutching naked man

---

The Wheel Of Life

After finishing the 58 sculptures for the bridge in the early 1930s, Vigeland completed a small children's circle which is placed at one end of the bridge next to the small lake. In 1934, he completed the large bronze "Wheel of Life," which is composed of figures swirling in an eternal circle.

---

Iron Gates

Wrought iron gates surround the Monolith Plateau and Vigeland park.

---

Vigeland Museum

Those who visit the park may see the original full-size plaster casts to the sculptures in bronze and granite in the Vigeland Museum, which is situated five minutes south of the park. In the museum you will also find Vigeland's early works, those which are mostly influenced by August Rodin, and his woodcuts.

See also "The Little Hot-Head", from the earliest sketch (1901) to the finished work (1928-1930).

Mail to:

Thanks go to Anne Høegh Brand of the Vigeland Museum for providing additional information on Gustav Vigeland.

Books, Catalogues, Posters, Videos, Woodcut Reproductions, Slides and Postcards can be purchased directly from the Vigeland Museum Store (FAX 22 44 65 37). A recent price list (prices subject to change) is available for download. This site has no affiliation with the Vigeland Museum.

REFERENCES:

1. "Embrace of Life: The Sculpture of Gustav Vigeland." Text by Nathan Cabot Hale. Photos by David Finn. H.N. Abrams, New York, 1969.

2. "Gustav Vigeland Sculpture Park and Museum in Oslo." Normanns Kunstforlag A/S, Oslo, Norway. 1993

OTHER VIGELAND-RELATED SITES ON THE WEB:

Eros in the art of Gustav Vigeland: Gustav Vigeland's erotic visions	Vigelands Skulpturepark - Oslo: A nice Vigeland site	The Sculpture of Gustav Vigeland: Wonderful photos by Jeffrey Howe	The Album: Vigeland Park - A nice site
Gustav Vigeland- Recent photos of the sculpture park	Vigeland Park Sculpture: Nice photo of Vigeland Park sculpture	Shin's Photo Gallery: Norway - Photos of Vigeland Park and Norway	Vigeland Gardens: A snapshot of the central fountain
Verkommen til Vigelandsparken: Historical information - in Norwegian	Another Vigeland Site	Touching Heads	Vigeland Park, Oslo: Also contains nice photos of the Monolith
Survival in Norway: Hiking tour of Norway	Virtual Sightseeing: A Walking Tour of Oslo		The Family
Oslo Multimedia exhibit	Another Vigeland Park site		Photos of Oslo