The Monolith: 121 figures, one block of granite

The Monolith is the central, most monumental sculpture in Vigeland Sculpture Park, the result of Gustav Vigeland's long-term project to explore human relationships in stone. Its a staggering 14-meter tall column carved from a single block of Iddefjord granite (hence the name: mono = single, lith = stone). The work is a tightly interlocked column of human figures that rises from a broad granite platform. The sculpture concentrates the same formal vocabulary you see elsewhere in the park into one vertical, compact statement and functions as the visual climax of Vigeland's layout. 

Approach close to study individual poses and faces; the figures are carved in varying scales and postures so that details shift as you walk around the base. The Monolith sits on a raised plaza that frames it against the park. It depicts 121 human figures climbing over one another. While it can look chaotic from a distance (and, let’s be honest, slightly phallic), up close it tells a clear story. The figures at the bottom are weighed down, static, and seemingly dead. As your eye moves up, the figures become lighter and more active, representing the human desire for spiritual salvation or the "resurrection." It is surrounded by a plateau featuring 36 distinct granite groups representing the cycle of relationships.