Each Life Is a Journey: Reflections on Biography and Growing Older

November 20, 2024

As I have mentioned in this newsletter, working with biography is one of my deep interests. In addition to having written two books on the subject (Tapestries: Weaving Life’s Journey and Soul Weaving), I have done workshops and spoken on the topic at conferences and virtual events. Recently, I spoke about the interaction between adolescents and the biographical stage of a high school teacher.

A group of friends and I, who are equally interested in biography, contributed to a new book called “Elder Flowering: Lived Experiences of Growing Older.” We did research into our own lives and wrote about the years after 63. We are planning a reading of excerpts from our chapters on December 13th here in Fair Oaks, and we will also have books available. The book can also be ordered through Steiner Books here.

All this is background to say that the life cycle is something I am always interested in learning more about. Because of this, it was natural when my daughter Sonya and I were in Oslo to visit Vigeland Sculpture Park to view the over 212 granite and bronze statues depicting different stages of life.

The artist who created these sculptures was Adolf Gustav Thorsen (1869-1943), who was born to a family of craftsmen. When he was 15, he traveled to Kristiania (Oslo) to learn woodcarving from Torsten K. Fladmos, but in 1888 he decided to become a sculptor. After his father’s death, he moved back to help his family. When he returned to Oslo, he changed his name to Gustav Thorsen Vigeland based on the area where he had briefly lived. Vigeland spent four years abroad, in Copenhagen, Paris, Berlin and Florence. He especially valued the time he spent in Auguste Rodin’s workshop.

Back in Oslo, he obtained from the town an abandoned studio in which to work. In 1905, Norway became independent from Sweden. He was considered the most talented Norwegian sculptor and received numerous commissions for statues and busts for such compatriots as Henrik Ibsen and Niels Henrik Abel. In 1921, the city of Oslo demolished the house where he lived and built a library. After a long dispute, he was granted a new building by the city where he could work and live. In exchange, he promised to donate all of his subsequent works to the city.

Over the following 20 years, he was devoted to the project in Frogner Park, including 212 bronze and granite sculptures as well as the monolith showing every aspect of human life. He also designed the park with its fountain surrounded by 20 statues representing a different stage of human life from toddlers to old age. In the center is the obelisk with 121 men and women of different ages clinging and floating together. The top is crowned with children. The obelisk is Interpreted by some as a vision of resurrection, and our longing and striving for spirituality.