Norway’s iconic sculpture park

Annam Suresh

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The must-see Vigeland Sculpture Park, the world’s largest attributed to a single artist, is situated in the serene Frogner neighbourhood of Oslo, Norway. The country’s most celebrated sculptor, Gustav Vigeland (1869-1943), not only designed all the 212 bronze, granite and cast-iron sculptures displayed in the park, but also the layout of the park.

Initially, Vigeland’s sculptures were to be installed in downtown Oslo. One of the two centrepieces in the park, the Fountain, was supposed to be in front of the Norwegian Parliament and the other, his masterpiece, Monolith, was slated to be above Oslo Central Station.

But as Vigeland kept creating more statues and his fame grew, the city decided to keep all of them near the artist’s own studio, where there was an open park back then.

The park is a haven of greenery. A walkway over a waterbody, where swans romp, is lined on both sides with statues in no particular sequence. This leads to a fountain which itself is a mini-museum, displaying progression of life carved on slabs around it, in addition to impressive big statues like the Cycle of Life.

The 212 statues, each individually considered a work of genius, collectively represent a cyclical narration of life from birth to death and after — depicting the joys and sorrows of conception, birth, childhood, adolescence, youth, adulthood, marriage, parenthood, old age, death, and beyond. Through this journey, it portrays myriad emotions — joy, grief, love, romance, hate, anger, violence, helplessness and wonderment. The exhibits make one ponder over one’s own journey through life.

Vigeland wanted his statues to capture all aspects of a person’s life and emotions, both in a literal and symbolic sense. He made them all naked so that they remain universal — unfettered by cultures, clothes, shame and chronology. The nudity is neither sensuous nor provocative, but explores all stages of human life in complete rawness, displaying the birth, growth and death of a human not just through the passage of time, but through the emotions and bonds that one experiences and exhibits with other humans, animals and spirits.

The star of the show is, of course, the Monolith, where 121 human figures are intertwined, reaching upwards to the heavens, every one of the sculptures a breathtaking masterpiece. There is little information of what inspired the idea of the Monolith, other than Vigeland’s fascination for the classical paintings of Judgment Day and the Resurrection. The approach to the Monolith is a wide arcade of steps edged by huge statues pertaining to the central theme.

Vigeland wanted the statues and their postures to be left to the viewers’ interpretation, hence most were left without names or were named later. A statue of a man grappling with four infants or throwing a woman over his head has been interpreted by some as cruelty or of a man tackling different manifestations of evil forces. Others have thought of these as playful since babies depict innocence and goodness, not evil. In fact, the statue is titled Man Chasing Four Geniuses (genius being translated by some as wizard and, hence, evil).

One of the most popular statues is Sinnataggen (The Angry Boy) , a bronze figure of an angry child with clenched fists. Many rub the clenched fist believing it to be good luck. The constant friction to that one hand has damaged it, giving it an unnatural golden sheen.

While Vigeland designed the park and the sculptures, the actual work was done by hired and trained hands under his sharp supervision. The Monolith was carved by three sculptors: Karl Kjær, Nils Jönsson and Ivar Broe, who got no share of the glory Vigeland enjoyed. Vigeland convinced the city of Oslo to build him a home and studio, where he lived and worked for the rest of his life. In return, he promised to donate all his works to the city, and after his death, his home was turned into the Vigeland Museum. Here one can see many of his other creations as well as his plaster models.

The Vigeland Park project took 20 years to complete and sadly, the park was only inaugurated in 1943, soon after its creator’s death. Although he himself did not live to see his monumental creation, Vigeland had made it clear that the park was to be free for everyone, just as the emotions he had portrayed were.

Diary Notes for the Scandinavian city

• In deference to the artist’s wishes, the park, which is 7 km from the Oslo city centre, is open 24×7. There is no entry fee
• The best way to reach Vigeland Park is by taking Line 3 subway from the Oslo Central Station or Blue Tram 12
• When checking into a hotel or hostel in Norway with heavy luggage, check if there is an elevator to your floor
• You can also safely leave your big luggage in the large airport lockers while you go sightseeing or check into a hostel