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The mural in Oslo City Hall conceals a dramatic story – about the artist’s own life
The artwork The Occupation Frieze tells the story of Norway’s wartime years, but it's about more than the nation’s fate.
The artist Alf Rolfsen used his own family as models for the work. The living-room scene is based on his own home.
The figure rising up against oppression was inspired by his son, Jens Christian.
New readings of the frieze
Professor Arild Skarsfjord Berg and Assistant Professor Christian Nordahl Rolfsen at OsloMet have examined private letters, sketches, and photographs from the family archive.
This offers new ways to understand the frieze.
"When we know the story behind the images, the anonymous figures become real people. The frieze thus acquires a documentary dimension," Berg believes.
It shows real lives, not just symbols.
The son who never got the chance to become an engineer
At the heart of the story is Jens Christian Rolfsen. He took part in the Resistance during the war and fled to Sweden in 1944. He later enlisted in the navy in England.
He dreamed of becoming a naval architect and wrote home about his plans.
In the frieze, we see him as the light-coloured figure rising up. His gaze is directed towards Nylands Verksted, the shipyard where he hoped to find work.
Only 21 years old, he died when the ship Tunsberg Castle sank off Finnmark in 1944.
The Gestapo enters the home
Berg and Rolfsen describe the frieze as a narrative in five parts:
- Attack and blackout
- The Gestapo’s entry into the home
- Destruction of culture
- Resistance and captivity
- Liberation and celebration
These parts are bound together by distinct lines and shapes that follow the architecture of the City Hall.
From home to national symbol
Many details in the frieze are drawn from Rolfsen’s everyday life: his wife Ingrid, the children, the living-room furniture – everything is real.
Rolfsen worked methodically.
He posed models, took photographs, made sketches, and enlarged them to full size on the wall.
In this way, private moments were transformed into national art.
Technique and mood
The frieze is painted as a fresco, on wet lime plaster that dries quickly. This meant the artist had to work fast.
This gives the images life and energy. The war scenes in particular convey unease and drama.
The lighting in the hall intensifies the effect and lends depth to the scenes.
A story that speaks to us today
The Occupation Frieze shows both society’s struggle and the artist’s personal grief. That makes the work especially powerful.
When we know who the people are and what they dreamed of, the story becomes more immediate and human.
That is why the frieze remains relevant today, even in the face of current conflicts.
Letters, photographs, and interviews shed new light
In addition to using letters, photographs, and interviews to interpret the frieze, the researchers have also made ethical considerations to protect the family’s privacy.
In this way, we gain a comprehensive and respectful picture of the story behind the art.
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Read the Norwegian version of this article on forskning.no
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