Bergen: Kode Art … Permanenten

After the interesting collection at Lysverket, I left under a light drizzle — more a mist, really — to continue my Kode Art day. Mui was already home … having sent me a note to say that he was going to take a nap.

I had two buildings to choose from. I decided to skip Stenersen, which is billed as a space where large-scale exhibitions of contemporary art are hosted. Instead, I continued along the lake, and crossed the street to another small park where I found the Permanenten venue (KODE 1) .. housed in an Italianate Neo-Renaissance building that dates back to 1896.

Once again, I had my ticket scanned and found the gardrobe to store my rain jacket. The museum, as I understand it, is currently undergoing renovation, so there is just a small, limited exhibition here on the third floor … a one-man show, if you will.

First, however, I detoured to the fourth floor for a closer look at the glass ceiling panel and decorative elements that enthralled me when I glimpsed them from the lobby. I would have peeked into the Festhallen (ballroom) as well, but the door was locked.

Walking down to the third floor, I began wandering through the exhibition of paintings by Frits Thaulow, billed by the Bergen Times as being “… full of painterly joy.”

This Norwegian painter apparently “… shocked and captivated the Norwegian art world and was internationally celebrated for his landscape paintings.” He is said to have played a pivotal role in the development of modern art in this country, and was at the forefront of the “plain-air” painting style.

I really enjoyed the exhibition of Thaulow’s paintings … all the more so because I didn’t have to scratch my head and wonder what he was trying to express.Read more