Relief "Vågspel"

Wave Play is a relief sculpture on the south façade of the old Courthouse.

Given that the artwork was intended as an ornament for the Courthouse façade, it was natural that its title would draw on the symbolism of Justitia (Lady Justice) and the balance scales. The act of weighing emerged as the central concept, since judging is, after all, a matter of careful balance. Consequently, the entire decoration was designed as a composition expressing equilibrium.

If one studies the work closely, a central point becomes apparent at its core. The rods rest upon spheres, with each element influencing the others. Everything is constructed to form a unified whole. If one rod were moved from its position, all the other elements would follow in the "dance."

To ensure that the colorful mosaic could withstand the effects of weather and wind, meticulous craftsmanship was required. Melanton therefore arranged for the work to be produced at the Gustavsberg factories, with ceramic artist Eje Öberg assisting in the firing process and related work.

Artist: Erland Melanton (1916–1968)

Erland Melanton was a painter and printmaker, born in Arvika, Sweden, the son of works manager Anders Johansson Melanton and Stina Nilsson.

He studied in the Department of Mural Painting at the Higher School of Industrial Arts in Stockholm from 1938 to 1943 and became an instructor in watercolor painting at Konstfack (the University College of Arts, Crafts and Design) in 1946. He also studied mosaic techniques at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna, Italy, from 1946 to 1947, and mural painting at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence in 1949.

From 1949 to 1963, he taught free painting at Konstfack. In May 1963, he was appointed Professor of Painting at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm.