Bison (Wisent)

About this artwork.

The sculpture is more than two metres high, three metres long and weighs about ten tonnes. The considerable stature, with its concentrated forms and gigantic necks, exudes primal power.
 
Wladimir de Vries was a sculptor in the literal sense of the word. After a clay model, in which the artist worked out his idea, the stone was worked using chisels and sledgehammers; a time-consuming and heavy job. Bison is made out of one piece of grey muschelkalk limestone, from which eight tonnes were chopped away in a year and a half. This rock is very hard, because the finishing that De Vries usually did with a wooden beater had to be done with an iron sledgehammer.

The bison is the largest animal in Europe. This species was eradicated in the wild, the last ones were killed in Russia around 1920. Descendants of captive bison populate a forest on the Polish-Russian border. Since 1975 also in The Netherlands small populations of bison are released.

Initially, the Municipality wanted to place this colossus near the Veemarkthallen, but due to hairline cracks that could cause splitting during frost, this plan was abandoned. In 1980, the sculpture went to Winschoten for the exhibition Groningen Monumentaal. It turned out that the sculpture was resistant to weather influences and since 1982 Bison has been impressing people at its current location.
 
There are various works of art by Wladimir de Vries in the city, The most famous are Agriculture and Cattle Breeding (Landbouw en Veeteelt), or Bare Bet (Blote Bet) on the Herebrug bridge; The Foal (Het Veulen) on the Radesingel and this Bison (Wisent) in the Noorderplantsoen. His works – all figurative in nature – were created in the period from around 1950 to 1980. This was precisely the time when a predominant preference for abstract art began to emerge. But Wladimir de Vries continued to work in his original – traditional – style. De Vries' wilfulness also characterises his sculptures from which pride and well-being are expressed.

Facts & Figures.

• Design
  Wladimir de Vries

• District
  Oranjebuurt (incl. Noorderplantsoen)

• Year of creation
  1976

• Art type
  Freestanding sculpture

• Material
  Muschel limestone

• Dimensions
  h 2,10 x b 0,80 x d 3,00 m