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Nov 5, 2023 · The monolith is a striking centrepiece of Oslo's Vigeland Park. Rising distinctively against the lush greenery of Frogner Park, it asserts itself as a defining image of Oslo. Perhaps with the one exception of The Scream, it's the most recognisable piece of art in Oslo.
- A Nearly Impossible Task
- The Swede
- The Dane
- The Norwegian
- The Work Begins
- Life as A Stonemason
- Increasing Pressures
- Risk of Getting Sick
- Consequences
- The Monolith Is Ready
In 1929, a colossal rock weighing 280 tonnes arrives in Oslo. If the Monolith could speak, it might have used words resembling a 2022 reality star: «It’s been a journey». Before arriving in Oslo, the rock has been blasted out of a mountainside near Iddefjorden, the birthplace of the Norwegian stone industry. It has been trimmed, washed and sent off...
Nils Jönsson is the first of the trio to be hired by Vigeland. He is brought onboard as early as 1915, before Vigeland comes up with the idea of his own park. Swedish Jönsson is born in 1886 in the Scanian town of Höör. He speaks with the characteristic uvular R. He grows up surrounded by granite and forests. At 14, his father dies and he has to le...
Karl Kjær is next. He is hired by Vigeland right before the carving of the Monolith commences in 1929. The 25-year-old decides to contact Vigeland, as he has heard he is looking for stonemasons. In his application, he writes: «I would like to get out, to see and do more, so I hereby extend my request to work for you.» Before joining Vigeland, he ha...
Ivar Broe completes the trio, but he is no newcomer to the craft. He has been carving rock since he was six years old. Ivar Broe is born into a family of stonemasons in 1892. He grows up in the same area as the Monolith rock, around the quarries of Iddefjorden. Several of his brothers also become skilled stonemasons. The family eventually moves to ...
The trio comes together for the first time at their new headquarters, the wooden shed which has been built around the Monolith. They don’t know it yet, but they will be here for the next 14 years. They start by getting to know the rock. A lot of people believe that brute force is the main factor when working with rock, but if you only use force you...
In winter, they look more like polar explorers than stonemasons. Although there is a heater inside the shed, the freezing temperatures demand hats and coats made of sheepskin. With every strike, dust is released into the air. The rock is transformed into a beautiful sculpture, but it can also be dangerous. Breathing mineral dust every day for years...
While it is rewarding for the three stonemasons to see their work progress, with every stroke they have ever more to lose. Are thoughts like «We have worked flawlessly for one year, two years, ten years, we mustn’t make any mistakes now»going through their heads? Do they lie awake at night wondering if the next day will be the day they spoil Norway...
In addition to the increasing stakes, an almost invisible danger fills the air. A stonemason’s main problem is his health. On one hand, splinters and fragments might penetrate the skin of hands and faces. On the other hand, there’s the dust. Granite contains quartz, a mineral which is so hard that it can cut glass. Daily exposure to mineral dust co...
The 1930s are disastrous for Norwegian trade and industry, but the three stonemasons have a steady, paid job to go to. They also receive pay increases, and work contracts from the end of the carving period show that they now make more than the average wage in Norway. By relocating to the Western side of the city they are slowly moving up in the wor...
As work on the Monolith is approaching the end, another challenge emerges. The Second World War . In 1940, Norway is invaded by Germany. The stonemasons are allowed to carry on working, since the occupants alongside the City of Oslo give priority to Gustav Vigeland’s project. The powerful bodies fit nicely into the regime’s philosophy of art, and V...
Jul 29, 2016 · The last tree contains a skeleton as a symbol of death, and also to show that man becomes nature after he dies. 36 sculptural groups reside on the monolith plateau around the main section of the park: an impressive monolith at almost 18 metres high, carved from one single granite block.
Feb 20, 2019 · The Monolith Plateau is a platform in the north of Frogner Park made of steps that houses the Monolith totem itself. 36 figure groups reside on the elevation bringing with them the “circle of life” message. Access to the Plateau is made via eight figural gates forged in wrought iron.
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Feb 17, 2019 · Find Vigeland Monolith stock images in HD and millions of other royalty-free stock photos, 3D objects, illustrations and vectors in the Shutterstock collection. Thousands of new, high-quality pictures added every day.
