BUA 2024 - Facades and decoration, Kristiania 1840 - 1920, by Art Historian Truls Walther Aslaksby

Aslaksby is a Norwegian art historian, antiquarian, researcher and communicator of Oslo history. He grew up at Frogner in Oslo. Aslaksby obtained a cand.mag. degree in 1967 and in 1977 he became a mag.art. in art history with the thesis Skiensfjord classicism - building style in the trade and production environments between Ulefoss and Langesund approx. 1800-1850. In 1998, he obtained his doctorate in philosophy based on the books “Grønland and Nedre Tøyen's settlement history” and “With the tenem ent as a solution”. He was university lecturer in art history at the University of Bergen 1980-81, scholarship holder at the Urban Research Program of RFSP - the Council for Research for Community Planning 1981-1985, and manager at Larvik City Museum 1986-87. From 1988 to 2012, he was chief antiquarian at Byantikvaren in Oslo. Wrote a number of books, primarily on architectural history topics, and especially in relation to Oslo, in addition to magazine articles.
Ornamented brick architecture in Oslo 1840-1920
Because of fire-preventing building regulations, 19. century Oslo architecture was built in brick and plastered. From the 1830s traditional mason’s techniques were augmented by ready-made architectural ornaments. These were made by terracotta and were, in line with the empire style, few and sparsely used, and restricted to monumental public buildings. Then from the 1840s on, ornaments made of gypsum became steadily more used. This material will not stand exposition to rain, so it was mainly used under cornices and other protruding elements. After 1900 the use of gypsum was regarded as unethical - fake - and discarded in favor of traditional mason’s techniques. The texture of outer walls was in itself treated as an ornament, as well as the interplay of volumes, small crossbars in windows, etc., until all sorts of facade ornaments were banned by functionalist theory and practice.
Video credits: Dag W. Grundseth. Pixmedia
Subtitles : Frederik Nygård Stokvik. Ny Urbanisme Norge