Gustav Vigeland: Renowned Antiquity and Renaissance Sculptor Vigeland Park Covers Over 80 Acres in Oslo, Norway

Gustav Vigeland: Renowned Antiquity and Renaissance Sculptor Vigeland Park covers over 80 acres in Oslo, Norway. There are 212 sculptures in bronze, granite or wrought iron created by Gustav Vigeland (1869‐1943). His sculptures were made between 1906 and 1942. It is the world’s largest sculpture park by a single artist. The park is open year‐round to the public because he donated all his works to the city of Oslo, where he died. The park was designed and architecturally laid out by Vigeland. The park was started in the 1920s but did not become a reality until 1949. The park has several sections shown and explained below. The park’s theme is the circle of life. Gustav chose the sculptures to be without clothes to not date them, therefore they are timeless. Gustav Vigeland was born Adolf Gustav Thorsen in southern Norway. His modest upbringing included a strict father, Eiesaeus Thorsen, a master carpenter. Thorsen was strict in religious matters, but also an alcoholic. After loosing money in a shipping investment, Gustav’s father opened a pub. His drinking caused his wife, Anne (Aanensdatter)Thorsen leave him with their three children and move in with her father. Gustav’s last name Vigeland, which he adopted in his 20s, is traced to a small far west area where he was born, a place called Vigeland (Viking land). As a youth he wanted to be a sculptor. He had learned to draw and do wood carving in school. His father’s death, but his grandfather’s care during his youth would later be seen in his sculptures. In 1900 he married Laura Andersen and had two children. During this period, he was able to be recognized by a well‐known Norwegian sculptor, Brynjulf Gergslien. Vigeland was able to travel and associate himself with master sculptors in Copenhagen, Paris, Berlin and Florence. In 1902, Vigeland, while restoring a cathedral in Trondheim, obtained an abandoned studio in Oslo. When Norway became independent from Sweden in 1905, Vigeland was considered, by them, to be the most talented Norwegian sculptor and received many commissions for statues and busts. In 1921, the City of Oslo, after a lengthy dispute, offered Vigeland a new building, demolishing his former house for a library. It was then he promised to donate his works to the city. His park idea and continued work lasted until he died in 1943. Because of the Nazi occupation, his death was not memorialized until 1947. It is believed that he drew or sculpted 1,500 works. Some of his works have been criticized as having been influenced by the Nazi occupation of Norway (1940‐1945) beginning with Operation Wesrubung (1940) code name for Germany’s assault on Denmark and Norway, having homoerotic themes and hypermasculinity. This photo program shares a walk through Vigeland Park. Vigeland Museum and Park Legend of the Numbers 1. The Main Entrance 2. The Visitor Center 3. The Bridge 4. The Fountain with the Labyrinth 5. The Monolith Plateau 6. The Wheel of Life 7. The Oslo City Museum 8. The Vigeland Museum Other park objects: Vigeland’s Statue and Sun Dial According to our guide: There was a strong negative feeling about his father, but a loving relationship with his grandfather and mother. His younger brother Emanuel was also an accomplished artist. He created a famous bust of Norwegian writer Henrik Ibsen. Main Entrance consists of five large gates and two small pedestrian gates in wrought iron. Designed in 1926, exhibited in 1927. The symbolism of the gate designs in human life and lizards which may represent hostile or evil forces that may accompany life. The Bridge includes males and females, struggles, energy, motion, submission, relationships between young and old, father and child relationship, a circle representing eternity in a “Yin and Yang” symbolic manner and breaking from imprisonment. The “Scream” is a well known sculpture of a child. Some models date back to 1916‐ 1917. Beyond the Bridge one walks through a rose garden to the Fountain. Six giants of different age struggle with a saucer‐fountain that represents the burden of life. Within the base there are an array of 6.5‐foot figures in tree‐crowns in various positions. Surrounding the base are reliefs depicting the transitions of life and struggle. The ground around the Fountain is paved in black and white granite. It has no center and has a separate entrance and exit. It represents the journey through life with its twists, turns, blind passages and until one has the patience to make their way through, they will have problems. The Monolith Plateau is the highest point in the park. One must walk up three terraces to reach the plateau. Again, wrought iron gates are used. The gate resembles male human forms with muscles, ribs, sinews and hair in various age ranges. The cycle of life is represented here surrounding the Monolith in rows making up 36 groups in granite. The Plateau includes men, women and children in various stages of life and positions. Vigeland did not sculpt directly into granite. He modeled the groups life‐size and hired professional artisans to do the work. He would visit regularly but chose not to meet or greet people visiting his park. He wrote many notes to the workers. Grandfather The Monolith consists of 121 figures. Vigeland modeled them in 1924‐25. He named it Monolith because it was carved out of one single block of stone. It was quarried from a mountain at Iddefjorden on the southeast coast of Norway. In its final shape it weighs around 180 tons. It stands 43.3 feet high, with a base of 56.7 feet. It was carved at the present site. Three stone carvers worked on the column under Vigeland’s supervision. It was finished before he died in 1943. The Monolith is covered by human figures in relief, singly or in groups. They are ascending the spiral, lifting and/or supporting each other. Some seem to be unconscious, others active, struggling not to fall while supporting each other. There are many interpretations of this Monolith. From a phallic symbol, struggle for existence and yearning for spiritual spheres from one’s daily life. Vigeland gave no answer. He stated, “The granite groups depict life; the column belongs to the world of fantasy. The granite groups are easy to understand; the Monolith may be interpreted in many ways.” The final sculpture is the Wheel of Life. The four adult figures and three children are linked together in a circular composition surrounding an opening. Vigeland emphasizes the interdependence of human beings. A sun dial is also part of the park. This was a fascinating and enjoyable experience in sculpture and interpreting the Cycle of Life. Sources: Tour of grounds with guide, Booklet, “Vigeland: Sculpture Park and Museum in Oslo,” http://www.vigeland.museum.no/en/vigeland‐park, https://theoslobook.no/2016/07/29/oslo‐vigeland‐park/, https://www.tretyakovgallerymagazine.com/articles/norway%E2%80%93russia‐ crossroads‐cultures/gustav‐vigeland‐man‐behind‐vigeland‐park, https://www.intomore.com/travel/the‐hidden‐homoerotics‐of‐oslos‐vigeland‐ installation, and http://www.anindependentasatru.com/‐blog/scandinavian‐germanic‐cultural‐heritage‐gustav‐vigeland. acuri.net John R. Vincenti Gustav Vigeland: Renowned Antiquity and Renaissance Sculptor .

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