Man Attacked by Babies

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One of the artistic highlights of Norway is the Sculpture Park in Oslo. The park contains 192 sculptures with more than 600 figures, all modeled in full size by Gustav Vigeland without the assistance of pupils or other artists. Vigeland also designed the architectural setting and the layout of the grounds.


Perhaps the most famous of Vigeland’s creations

The initial point of the park sculptures was the Fountain. A model was presented in 1907 to the city counsel and Gustav Vigeland was commissioned to make a Fountain. But as the time passed and not enough money was raised yet, Vigeland added many more sculptures to the project – granite sculptures that eventually were placed around the later Monolith. In 1924, the City of Oslo decided that the whole project should be fulfilled in the Frogner Park, later called Vigeland Park. In 1931 followed a renewal of the bridge over the Frogner ponds with the addition of numerous sculptures on the parapets and grounds. For the rest of his life, Vigeland continued to model new sculptures for the park until his death in 1943.

Gustav Vigeland was born in 1869 in the south-coast town of Mandal in Norway. Vigeland’s artistic talents were first revealed in his drawings and woodcarvings and at the age of fifteen, his father took him to Oslo to apprentice him to a master. The death of his father only two years later forced Vigeland to return to Mandal and relinquish all hopes of becoming a sculptor. In 1888, Vigeland was again back in the capital, this time taking with him a bundle of sketches for statues, groups and reliefs, their motifs mostly deriving from Greek mythology and the Bible. The sculptor, Brynjulf Bergslien, impressed by his drawings, took him into his studio and gave him his first practical training.

The work of Auguste Rodin, seen by Vigeland on visits to the artist’s studio in Paris, made a perceptible impact. Rodin’s intimate treatment of his relationship between man and woman was also influential in Vigeland’s life-long development of this theme.

“I was a sculptor before I was born. I was driven and lashed onward by powerful forces outside myself. There was no other path, and no matter how hard I might have tried to find one, I would have been forced back again.”

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Holte Ender

Holte Ender will always try to see your point of view, but sometimes it is hard to stick his head that far up his @$$.
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Andrew
13 years ago

They’re not “babies”, he’s fighting mythical “spirits” called genius (genii).

In ancient Roman religion, the genius was the individual instance of a general divine nature that is present in every individual person, place or thing.

Jess
13 years ago

Beautiful place to go walking around in it looks like. Statues are really cool looking too.

13 years ago

weird…and he’s got a small willy…very weird

13 years ago

What the hell? Seriously. The gaden is really awesome, but that sculpture does look as if the dude is about to punt that baby for three points.

13 years ago

[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Holte Ender, Michael Scott. Michael Scott said: RT @madmike1 Man Attacked by Babies http://bit.ly/9TeXZW […]

13 years ago

Good stuff.

Admin
13 years ago

That is one impressive statue and one fascinating story. Thanks Holte.

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