Central to the park layout is the fountain and as a singular work represents Vigeland's, what I consider, masterpiece of the cycle of life. He expanded his original model of the fountain because he did not feel that it showed enough about the cycle of life. "He was not fully satisfied that he had shown the cycle clearly and he had not expressed enough of the possibilities to ensure the firm establishment of the cycle."(2) He started with the fountain of six men supporting a basin. Then he added the Trees of Life, and the bas-reliefs. The trees and bas-reliefs were added because Vigeland wanted to depict the many cycles of life. First, he added the Trees of Life, a total of 20, to show one way of looking at life. Then he added the bas-reliefs because he thought that the trees and fountain did not depict it thoroughly. Vigeland started drawing the bas-reliefs in 1889. There are a total of 60 bas-reliefs, on the fountains base showing other ideas for the cycle of life, but Vigeland made over100 for the fountain, all on the same theme. The six men are all of different ages, and the basin represents life. Each man is bearing the weight of life on their bodies and you can see form the facial expressions and the positions of the bodies how mush each is struggling with the toils of life. "The basin represents the burden of life borne with varying degrees of ability and willpower. The water represents the creative primitive forces that are tamed and held in check by the cultural energy of mankind."(3) Thus the fountain is quite central, since it is the oldest part of the park. To add to his vision of the park by adding many additional sculptural groups and statues.
2. Nathan Cabot Hale, Embrace of Life: the Sculpture of Gustav Vigeland (New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc., 1968), p. 115
3. Fridtjof Bringager and Tone Wikborg, Vigeland Park, translated by John Harley (Oslo: Scandinavian Film Group as.), p. 13