Emanuel Vigeland
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Emanuel Vigeland (2 December 1875 – 22 December 1948) was a multitalented Norwegian artist. He is known for a variety of decorations of Scandinavian churches and for ''Tomba Emmanuelle'', his mausoleum at Slemdal in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. His elder brother was sculptor,
Gustav Vigeland Gustav Vigeland (11 April 1869 – 12 March 1943), born as Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his produc ...
.


Background

August Emanuel Vigeland was born in
Halse og Harkmark Halse og Harkmark is a former municipality in the old Vest-Agder county, Norway. The municipality existed from 1838 until its dissolution in 1964. The administrative centre of the municipality was the village of Halse, which at that time was a ...
in
Mandal A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluk, or taluka () is a local unit of administrative division in India and Pakistan. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administrative c ...
,
Vest-Agder Vest-Agder (; "West Agder") was one of 18 counties (''fylker'') in Norway from 1 January 1919 to 31 December 2019, after it was merged with Aust-Agder to form Agder county. In 2016, there were 182,701 inhabitants, around 3.5% of the total popul ...
county. Vigeland was born to a family of craftsmen. His parents were Elesæus Thorsen (1835–1886), a cabinetmaker and Anne Aanensdatter (1835–1907). In autumn 1894, he went to
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
as a student at the Norwegian National Academy. In the spring of 1897 he debuted at the National art exhibition. Vigeland went to
Copenhagen Copenhagen ( ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a population of 1.4 million in the Urban area of Copenhagen, urban area. The city is situated on the islands of Zealand and Amager, separated from Malmö, Sweden, by the ...
in the autumn of 1898 and was a student of
Peder Severin Krøyer Peder Severin Krøyer (; 23 July 1851 – 21 November 1909), also known as P. S. Krøyer, was a Danish painter. Life Growing up and early training Krøyer was born in Stavanger, Norway, on 23 July 1851 to a single mother, Ellen Cecilie Gjes ...
at Den Frie Studieskole. From October 1899 to February 1902, Vigeland stayed abroad, first as a student in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, then in
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
,
Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
and the UK.


Career

His first solo exhibition was held at the Dioramalokalet on Karl Johan Street in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
during February 1902. In 1905, Vigeland traveled to
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
under a scholarship to study frescoes, a journey that also took him to
Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...
and
Jerusalem Jerusalem is a city in the Southern Levant, on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It is one of the List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest cities in the world, and ...
. In 1909, Vigeland was commissioned to decorate frescoes, stained glass and lighting equipment for the first Norwegian Crematorium (''Det gamle kapell''). The same year he was invited to participate in the competition for the decoration of fresco paintings and stained glass in the new assembly hall at the
University of Oslo The University of Oslo (; ) is a public university, public research university located in Oslo, Norway. It is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation#Europe, oldest university in Norway. Originally named the Royal Frederick Univ ...
. Mostly known for his
painting Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...
s, Vigeland also produced
fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...
s,
stained glass Stained glass refers to coloured glass as a material or art and architectural works created from it. Although it is traditionally made in flat panels and used as windows, the creations of modern stained glass artists also include three-dimensio ...
and
sculpture Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
s. Noteworthy sculptures include ''The Virgin and the Unicorn'', installed in
Nygårdsparken Nygårdsparken is a public park located in the city centre of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is located between the neighbourhoods of Nygård and Møhlenpris. Covering , Nygårdsparken is the largest urban park in Bergen. History Nygårds ...
in
Bergen Bergen (, ) is a city and municipalities of Norway, municipality in Vestland county on the Western Norway, west coast of Norway. Bergen is the list of towns and cities in Norway, second-largest city in Norway after the capital Oslo. By May 20 ...
. Many of his designs are inspired by Christianity, and he decorated the interior of a number of churches principally in Norway. Noteworthy were the design of the interiors, from the pulpit and altar to light fixtures and other decor, in
Bryn Church Bryn Church () is a long church () located in Rykkinn in the municipality of Bærum in Akershus county, Norway. The church functions both as a road church and is the parish church for Bryn. History The church was built in 1861 based on plans by ...
in
Bærum Bærum () is a list of municipalities of Norway, municipality in the Greater Oslo Region in Akershus County, Norway. It forms an affluent suburb of Oslo on the west coast of the city. Bærum is Norway's fifth largest municipality with a populatio ...
, (1911–14) and the mosaics and stained glass at
Gjerpen Church Gjerpen Church () is a parish church of the Church of Norway in Skien Municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the Skien (town), town of Skien. It is one of the churches for the Gjerpen parish which is part of the Skien prosti (d ...
at
Skien Skien () is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the Norsjø area and Bø. The administrative ...
(1919–21). Other notable example would include the chandeliers and wall lamps in the choir and the ship in the
Stavanger Cathedral Stavanger Cathedral () is Norway's oldest cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of Stavanger who leads the Diocese of Stavanger in the Church of Norway. It is located in the centre of the Stavanger (city), city of Stavanger which lies in the southw ...
, the stained glass in the
Århus Cathedral Aarhus Cathedral () is a cathedral in Aarhus, Denmark. It is the longest and tallest church in the country, at in length and in height. The construction of Aarhus Cathedral began in the 12th century and it is the main edifice of the diocese of ...
, the stained glass in
Lund Cathedral Lund Cathedral () is a cathedral of the Lutheran Church of Sweden in Lund, Scania, Sweden. It is the seat of the Bishop of Lund and the main church of the Diocese of Lund. It was built as the Catholic cathedral of the archiepiscopal see of all ...
and stained glass of Fredrikstad Cathedral in the
Diocese of Borg Borg is a diocese in the Church of Norway. The diocese includes parishes in the counties of Østfold and Akershus, excluding Asker and Bærum. It was created in 1969 by separation from the Diocese of Oslo. The Cathedral City is Fredrikstad. Fred ...
. From 1919-22, he ran a school for stained glass art at his studio at Slemdal. In the 1920s he was at the height of his fame, having conducted a series of successful missions abroad. Vigeland was acquainted with Swedish archbishop
Nathan Söderblom Lars Olof Jonathan Söderblom (; 15 January 1866 – 12 July 1931) was a Swedish bishop. He was the Church of Sweden Archbishop of Uppsala from 1914 to 1931, and recipient of the 1930 Nobel Peace Prize. He is commemorated in the Calendar of ...
and through this connection he was introduced to the . Particularly extensive and prestigious was his work with glass paintings at Oscar's Church in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
.


Tomba Emmanuelle

Vigeland made of his
mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
(''Tomba Emmanuelle'') his
magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...
. His mausoleum, which doubles as a museum, is located in
Oslo Oslo ( or ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of 1,064,235 in 2022 ...
. It is shaped like a small windowless church, which has overwhelming
acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...
that make speaking out loud almost impossible. The inside walls and roof are covered in a giant fresco, ''Vita'', depicting human life, love and death. Several sculptures of women giving birth adorn the floor. The entry to the mausoleum is very low and the
urn An urn is a vase, often with a cover, with a typically narrowed neck above a rounded body and a footed pedestal. Describing a vessel as an "urn", as opposed to a vase or other terms, generally reflects its use rather than any particular shape ...
containing the ashes of the artist is in a niche above the entry, thus forcing all visitors to bow to him when exiting. It is rumoured that Emanuel was annoyed by always being in the shadow of his better known brother
Gustav Vigeland Gustav Vigeland (11 April 1869 – 12 March 1943), born as Adolf Gustav Thorsen, was a Norwegian sculptor. Gustav Vigeland occupies a special position among Norwegian sculptors, both in the power of his creative imagination and in his produc ...
and that this gesture of morbid humour was his posthumous revenge. In 1958, the mausoleum was opened to the public. It is run by the private foundation Emanuel Vigeland Museum. The amazing acoustics of the mausoleum can be heard in recordings by various artists: *American folk artist Jay Brannan, who was allowed a private visit during which he was videotaped singing his composition, ''Death Waltz''. *Swedish/German group Mattimatti *Danish black metal musician
Myrkur Myrkur is a solo black metal project by Danish singer Amalie Bruun. Initially, the real-life identity of the person behind the project was kept unknown. Her identity has since been made public. Myrkur has released four full-length studio albums ...
, who recorded the live acoustic album ''
Mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...
'' (2016) there, featuring The Norwegian Girls Choir. *Inuk throat singer
Tanya Tagaq Tanya Tagaq ( Inuktitut syllabics: ᑕᓐᔭ ᑕᒐᖅ, born Tanya Tagaq Gillis, May 5, 1975), also credited as Tagaq, is a Canadian Inuk throat singer, songwriter, novelist, actor, and visual artist from Cambridge Bay (Iqaluktuuttiaq), Nun ...
filmed the music video for her song Aorta inside Tomba Emmanuelle. *Norwegian traditional singer Unni Løvlid – Vita, a solo vocal recording, Helio Records, 2005 *South Korean composer Okkyung Lee, solo performance on cello, Pica Disk, 2018 *vocal ensemble Kristin Bolstad + Stemmeklang, a cappella recording, 2L Records, 2019


Personal life

In 1902, Emanuel Vigeland married Valborg Kristine Madsen (1879–1951). Their children were Maria Vigeland (1903–1983), (1904–1968), and Imm Vigeland (1917-2004). He was a grandfather of goldsmith Tone Vigeland.


References


Further reading

* Falcon, Jean (1925): ''Emmanuel Vigeland''. Paris. * Tybring, Fredrik (1935): ''Emanuel Vigeland''. Oslo. * Kortner, Magne (1996): ''Kirkekunstneren Emanuel Vigeland : Borgestad kirke - Gjerpen kirke''. .


External links


Emanuel Vigeland Museum in Oslo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vigeland, Emanuel 1875 births 1948 deaths 19th-century Norwegian painters 20th-century Norwegian painters Norwegian male painters Norwegian sculptors People from Vest-Agder People from Mandal, Norway 20th-century Norwegian sculptors 19th-century Norwegian sculptors 19th-century Norwegian male artists 20th-century Norwegian male artists