Denmark, Sweden, Norway: Day 10 - Oslo, Norway

I remember visiting Oslo as a 10 year-old kid, when my parents took us on a six-week camping trip through Europe.  In particular, I remembered visiting Frogner Park and all the wonderful sculptures created by Gustav Vigeland.  This time, I wanted to share that experience as an adult with some of my closest friends.

We caught the trolley to the exterior gate and entered the park on it's southeastern end.  The 80-acre park, also called Vigeland Park, contains 214 bronze or granite sculptures donated by the artist. 

The main path at the entrance led us to a bridge spanning a lake, lined with sculptures placed symmetrically on both sides.  The figures explore themes of daily life, emotional moods, and intergenerational relationships.  Sculptures with fathers and children were a common medium.

Viegland chose not to cloth the sculptures to keep them timeless and they are full of symbols and metaphors of feelings that depict the human experience.

Many of the sculptures also explore the bonds and relationships between mothers and their children.

"Mother and Child" - With the child clinging to her, it evokes a mother's strength and solemn expressions of responsibility and enduring affection.  

A mother's protection...

The joy, energy and exuberance of childhood...

Vitality...

The circles in the center of the bridge were designed to represent  harmony.  

Below, the sculpture represents Man who does not compromise with the conventions of social life and struggles to break free from its limitations.

Austere man and woman...

"Sinnataggen" - the angry boy, a favorite sculpture of children and adults!

"Man and Woman in Embrace" - Evoking tenderness and closeness, love and mutual support.

Father and Child:  Representing the artist's belief in the foundational importance of family and the universality of the parent-child bond.

Does the sculpture below need any interpretation?  Known as "Man Attacked by Babies", the adult male figure is found struggling under the weight and force of multiple infants.

Many interpret it as a metaphor for the overwhelming responsibilities of parenthood or the chaotic nature of nurturing and raising children.

After crossing the bridge, there is a lovely rose garden leading up to the fountain area.

I stopped to admire the beautiful varieties.  Below are some of my favorites.

The variety below was identified as "Westerland".

Stunning!

The fountain area is one of the oldest in the park.  The fountain itself was originally designed for installation in front of the Norwegian Parliament building. 

Six giant male bodies of different ages support the bowl, which symbolizes Man's struggle to endure the burdens of life.  

The outer-wall surfaces are covered with a total of 60 relief figures with symbolic scenes of Man's life and adventure as well as his relationship with animals and nature.

The fountain is surrounded by 20 bronze sculptures, each with a tree element.  Together, the trees represent the circle of life and underscore humanity's connection to nature and time.  The sculpture below, which I'm going to call "the diver", was one of my favorites.

Continuing to climb towards the park's monolith, I took time to look back at the fountain, rose garden, and bridge areas.

What a stunning park!

Climbing up a set of broad granite steps, and through a beautifully ornate iron gate, the monolith plateau emerges.

Thirty six granite sculptures surround the monolith, representing the collective human experience.

Parental care...

Aging, mortality and the passage of time, presented with introspection, solitude and quiet strength.

Deep love and connectedness...

Unity...

The monolith itself is 17 meters high and was carved from a single block of granite.  It's made up of 121 entwined human figures, appearing to spiral upward in fluid motion, evoking struggle, aspiration and transcendence.

"To some, it represents the human desire for spiritual elevation, a striving toward unity and meaning beyond the confines of earthly existence.  Others see in it a commentary on interdependence and the continuity of life...

... What remains clear is Vigeland's ambition to capture the full spectrum of human experience - not as isolated individuals, but as a collective whole bound together by time, emotion, and purpose."

Behind the monolith, to the north, lies another set of wrought iron gates decorated with similar representations of men, women, mothers fathers, children, expressing emotions - love, joy, unity, connectedness, care... 

We carried on...

We passed a sun dial, made of copper and bronze, placed on a 12-sided slab of white granite, each face with a sign of the zodiac.

At the northernmost end of the park, the Wheel of Life, can be found.

Composed of intertwined figures, the sculpture forms a ring -  "a harmonious blend of anatomy and geometry. "  The ring evokes the cycle of life - birth, life, death and renewal.  It reinforces the park's recurring theme - the nature of  human existence and emotional continuity.

Beyond the park's central axis lies a network of secondary paths that adds a quieter and more intimate experience to the park's sculptural landscape.

With the park open 24 hours a day, it was great to see picnicers, joggers, people playing frisbee, sunbathers and others generally enjoying the beautiful public space.  It made me want to return with a picnic of our own!

A view of the monolith from one of the side pathways.

We crossed back over the bridge and decided to stop for a fika at the park's Anne på landet cafe.  It had a lovely outdoor seating areas where we took full advantage.

One last view of the main thoroughfare in Frognerparken, aka Vigeland Park.

We grabbed the tram back into Oslo's center; our next destination was the Munch Museum, down by the harbor.  

On the way, I snapped this picture of another sewer cover, this one with the Oslo city seal (taken from an earlier coat of arms).  Smitten!

The seal depicts the city's patron saint, St. Hallvard. 

According to legend, Hallvard was the son of a rich nobleman and had a reputation as a decent guy. One day, a pregnant starving woman stole food from the market, and when the merchants gave chase to execute her, she ran to Hallvard for help. He carried her away in his boat, but the men followed and shot him with three arrows. When they got close enough to realize who they’d killed, they panicked and hung a millstone around Hallvard’s neck, then threw him in the ocean. But the next day, he popped back up, with the millstone still attached. Other miracles ensued, and soon Hallvard was canonized as the patron saint of Oslo.

On the way to the Munch, we passed the Opera House.

And just around the corner was the tilted Munch Museum building.

The museum has been widely criticized for its design, but I found it to be pretty cool. Inside, we perused the bookstore and passed up on the coffee shop. We purchased our tickets and rode the elevator to nearly the top floor where the Munch exhibit was. We could see out beyond the green roof to the carousel next to the harbor.

Honestly, I didn't know much about Edvard Munch, other than "The Scream", but I was pleasantly pleased with many of his works.  From his self portrait...

... to the variety of other versions of "The Scream"...

... to this one called "The Murderer". (you can see the menace in the man's demeanor and gate)...

... to Amor and psyche...

I like what one art critic wrote: 'This picture isn't about the people or the story of Amor and Psyche. It is all about that feeling one gets when they know they are in love, strong but gentle, raw and rugged, yet somehow innocent and naive all at once. True love, anticipation and wisdom all in one painting.'

I highlighted this section of Munch's painting "Separation"

I like the wistful way the maiden looked out over the sea, with the fading sun reflecting off the water's surface.  Beautiful!

In the museum, there is a special room where there are several versions of "The Scream".  Walls open and close to direct the crowds' attention to different versions, sparring the light exposure (and potential harm) on the most famous of the versions.

Munch described his inspiration for the image this way:

"I was walking along the road with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature."

Some scholars believe, based upon these accounts, that Munch was describing a panic attack and The Scream has been widely interpreted as representing the universal anxiety of modern humanity.

Munch created two versions of The Scream in paint and two in pastels, as well as a lithograph stone from which several prints survive (see above). The Scream has been stolen twice, but recovered both times.

Upon leaving the exhibit, we headed to the rooftop cafe for a fika and we enjoyed splendid views of the Opera House, the city of Oslo and its fjord.

Leaving the Munch Museum, I left the group to go see the Oslo Radhus (City Hall).  I made haste because I had little time before it was set to close.  I arrived with about an hour to explore, but was extremely disappointed as the building was closed in preparation for a gay pride celebration.  I was really striking out on my Scandinavian city hall tours! 

The whole city was gearing up, with pride flags and symbols all over.  The Scandinavians seem to be quite accommodating. 

While I couldn't go inside the City Hall, I did enjoy walking around the building and examining it's sparse decorations. The gold covered bronze relief over the entrance was designed by Joseph Grimeland and is named Oslopike (“Oslo girl”). 

Oslo is a seafaring city and many think she resembles a figurehead often seen on ships and that she is depicted a greeting the people of Oslo.

In the 1920s, Functionalism was the leading architectural style in Norway.  The new Oslo City Hall became a building strongly inspired by this architectural form, with a clean surface...

...but you also find elements of modernism, art deco and new classicism.

Reliefs on the front of the building celebrate the activities of common citizens.  

Don't know why, but this relief reminds me of the Jacques Cousteau Calypso symbology. Is she tempting Odysseus?

On the side of the building is this tribute to Norwegian fishermen.

Salmon also can be found in the ground tiles on the west side of the building.

After visiting the Rådhus, I headed north to navigate back to our hotel and found the Studenterlunden Park

In the park, I found this unique installation; it's the world's first statue of a woman with incurable breast cancer. 

While the statue symbolizes every woman with breast cancer, it portrays the mother of three, Cecilie, who was diagnosed with incurable breast cancer when she was 42 years old.  It was designed to give attention to, and increase knowledge about, those diagnosed with terminal breast cancer and who may be left in the shadows by the focus on breast cancer survivors. It was a gift from the Norwegian Brest Cancer Society.

Turning from that somber subject to the colorful WCs in the park.  How's that for a transition!

The adjoining street, Karl Johans Gate was lined with outdoor cafe seating and festooned in pride colors.

Continuing east, I came upon the stately Stortinget, the Norwegian Parliament building...

... and the Grand Hotel Oslo.

This square (below) is called the Stortings plass, with the building housing the Progress Party Association in the background.

Looking up Karl Johans Gate and it's flower pot-lined thoroughfare...

Continuing east, I came upon the Oslo Cathedral and had to duck in for a look.  

Above the entrance was a gilded depiction of Saint Hallvard.

Inside, the ceiling painting, covering all four naves, was done by artist Hugo Lous Mohr between 1937 and 1950 and it's the largest of its kind in Norway.

In the center of the ceiling, a grand sun radiates with the inscription “Gloria in excelsis Deo” - “Glory to God in the highest.”

The light flows out over the entire ceiling and down to the pictorial motifs in the vaults of the four naves.

In the West Vault, above the gallery, the motifs in the ceiling painting consist of the four evangelists of the New Testament and four of the prophets from the Old Testament.

In the east nave, the painting depicts the creation of Christ.

In the south nave, the baptism of Christ is portrayed. 

In all three panels, the tree of life appears in different variations. The dove and the Christ figures’ outstretched arms, with hands in various positions, are also recurring elements. 

In the north nave, the fighting and victorious Christ is depicted...

The pulpit was installed in the church two years after its consecration in 1697. 

Together with the altarpiece and the organ facade, it constitutes the cathedral's original baroque interior. 

Outside of the Cathedral, hidden from the street by the church walls, there was a nice open air seating area for those in the know. 

After reconvening with the crew, and some games in the hotel's upper level lounge, we headed out for dinner - celebratory pride motifs everywhere we looked.

Jeff must've been hankering a beer, because he picked this Irish pub for dinner.

After dinner, we retired early so that we could get plenty of rest for the next day's "Norway-in-a-Nutshell" fjord adventure!