One of the best things I saw in Oslo was the Gustav Vigeland park. Vigeland was a Norwegian artist who pretty much devoted his later life to a park just outside of Oslo, and the crafty fellow managed to persuade the city of Oslo to pay for it all, including his master piece, a fourteen metre tall phallic monolith of intertwining human bodies surrounded by 36 statues (most with multiple figures). To say that I am impressed by this gargantuan example of 1930's style art is an understatement. Not only are the figures stylized nudes (which I appreciate above all other subjects) but they are staggered to suggest the wheel of life with the central monolith representing mankinds aspirations towards spirituality. The whole thing is also made into a giant sun dial, though I don't know if that was intentional.
There is also a museum at the park dedicated to Vigeland, which houses many of his smaller works and test pieces. If your ever in Oslo, its well worth taking half a day to go and see it. Mette and I went to see the park years ago with my friend Andreas and I have to say, it was far and away way better than any sculpture gardens have in Denmark.
2 comments:
This is excellent! I don't know when/if I'll ever make it to Oslo, but this is something that I would like to see in person.
I love the tangled and intertwined bodies that produce the monolith.
There is also the rest of the park, which is filled with a few hundred odd other statues.
Vigeland had a curious style. His figures are heavy set; idealised and bulky and for some reason, this made them seem more sensual.
Personally I found the radiating statues to be far more interesting than the monolith as they represent various aspects of life so there are children playing, suckling, young lovers, older lovers, people dying, families, people alone or quarrelling. Its an artistic masterpiece and a bummer its not better known. It puts some of the famous rubbish they have in Italy to shame.
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