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Vigeland Sculpture Park - Oslo, Norway

PictureVigeland sculptures photo by Steven Skelley
Vigeland Sculpture Park

Oslo, Norway


An artistic masterpiece: The human experience through nude sculpture

by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong

Vigeland Sculpture Park in Oslo, Norway is a world famous tourist destination that is visited by tens of thousands each year. With more than 200 nude sculptures in bronze, granite and wrought iron symbolizing the emotions and experiences of human life, Vigeland Sculpture Park is a must-see in Oslo.

Completed between 1939 and 1949, Vigeland Sculpture Park is filled with unique sculptures - Gustav Vigeland's lifework.  Art lovers and photographers could easily spend several days here appreciating and contemplating Gustav Vigeland's view of the human experience.

The Monolith is an imposing and captivating column towering 46 feet high and composed of more than 100 intertwined human bodies of all ages. Vigeland modeled the Monolith in the mid 1920s and stone carvers spent more than 10 years completing his vision. The Monolith is an incredibly intriguing piece that seems to beg for personal interpretation. 

The Monolith is surrounded by 36 granite statues depicting the cycles of life and human relationships. The statues sit on various levels of the stars that encompass the structure. Because there are so many viewing levels and angles available, no two views are the same. Because of the multilevel design, the ever-present, captivating Monolith of human bodies is always in the background allowing even more room for personal interpretation of the cycle of life and human relationship statues.

The Fountain is Vigeland's unique view of the interaction between humanity and nature. Six men of varying ages hold a basin above them allowing a curtain of water to cascade down around them. Surrounding the Fountain, there are sculptures of humans that seem to be embedded in trees. Men, women and children of all ages are intertwined in trees in amazing poses and combinations.

The Bridge features 58 bronze sculptures seated on granite parapets on the sides of an actual 100 meter long bridge. These sculptures represent and symbolize human relationships. Men, women and children in various poses seem to both symbolize and / or capture a specific moment in a human life: a mother holds her baby, a son looks admiringly up at his father, two young girls look off at some unknown object, a man cradles a baby, a man attacks another man, a woman holds the hand of a man as she rests her head on his shoulder, a man juggles his children.

One of the most famous and most photographed bronze sculptures on the Bridge is Sinnataggen, the little Angry Boy. The chubby, little child is caught in mid-step and apparently in the middle of a temper tantrum.

The Wheel Of Life is a symbol of eternity. It is "a garland of women, children and men holding on to each other." 


According to the Vigeland Park literature, the Wheel Of Life "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."

You can learn more about Vigeland Sculpture Park at http://www.vigeland.museum.no/en/vigeland-park


Watch the Florida Cruise & Travelers Magazine video below.

Article by Steven Skelley and Thomas Routzong. Copyright 2014 Sunny Harbor Publishing. Contact Us: PO Box 560318, Rockledge, FL 32956. Phone: 321-446-7552. Email: SunnyHarborPublishing@yahoo.com

Keywords: Steven Skelley, Thomas Routzong, vigeland, oslo, norway, travel, cruise, nude, sculpture, art, nude, nude art, Family Travelers Magazine, family travel, 

Our policy: We choose to only write positive articles. If you read one of our articles, you know that we had a positive experience. If we have a negative experience, we simply choose not to write anything. Our tastes may not be your tastes and we want to focus on the positives in life.