Atlantica - 01.09.2000, Page 49

A T L A N T I C A 47
This vast panoply of human life
was the brainchild of Norwegian
sculptor Gustav Vigeland. From
the 1920s onwards he gradually peo-
pled the park with his massive statues
to create a disturbing vision of human-
ity. Few artists have been able to
realise their work on such a grand
scale.
Central to the complex is the
Monolith, a 17.3 m high totem of
writhing bodies, striving heavenwards,
carved from a single block of granite.
Radiating from this are groups of pow-
erful stone images, men, women and
children, frozen into attitudes of life.
Yet, more famous than all these titans
is the little sculpture of the “Angry
Boy”. His small stone features, set in a
tantrum recognisable to parents all
over the world, have obviously struck a
chord. VC
SCULPTUREVigeland
Need to get some
perspective on your life?
Then visit Oslo’s Vigeland Park.
A wander among the huge naked
figures is guaranteed to
make you feel small.
P H O T O S B Y
P Á L L S T E F Á N S S O N
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