Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Vigeland sculpture park, Norway

Vigeland Sculpture Park is probably the most famous park in Norway. It was created by sculptor Gustav Vigeland between the years 1907 and 1942.

The park has as its theme what could be called the "Human Condition." Most of the statues depict people engaging in various typically human persuits, such as running, wrestling, dancing, hugging, holding hands and so on.
However, Vigeland occasionally included some statues that are more abstract, such as the four granite columns at the ends of the bridge that depict humans fighting giant lizards, and the "Man attacked by Babies" statue, which shows an adult male, fighting off a horde of tiny babies! There are more than 200 statues, all life size or bigger, in bronze and granite, and the 80 acre park was laid out and designed by Vigeland himself. The angry baby is one of the most famous sculptures - it's on all the postcards and you can see were people have touched it and the bronze is all shiny!







The vessel in the fountain is carried by six giants, while the tree groups around the corners portray the life of man from cradle to grave.

The centrepiece of the park is the monolith, carved from a single piece of granite, which is composed of 121 figures. Surrounding it on the plateau are some 36 figure groups, also depicting the cycle of life in which Man is depicted in a variety of typical human situations and relationships.
At the very end of the park is the wheel of life. The wheel is a symbol of eternity and is here executed as a garland of women, children and men holding on to each other. In a sense, this sculpture sums up the dramatic theme of the entire park: Man's journey from cradle to grave, through happiness and grief, through fantasy, hope and wishes of eternity.
Breathtaking.


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