Everyone is talking about the forest, and more!

The forest is eternally relevant, but the way we talk about it changes throughout history. In art, it is also depicted in different ways. That's why it's exciting to be able to show Norwegian artists' attempts to depict the forest over a wide period of time, from the romantic depictions of the 19th century to the present day. From J. C. Dahl and Thomas Fearnley to Jakob Weidemann and Frans Widerberg, key works from a number of Norway's greatest artists are on display in this exhibition, which has been given the name "Everyone is talking about the forest".

Blaafarveværket's proximity to the forest provides opportunities to show both artists and motifs with local connections. Gustav Wentzel's "evening mood" from 1883 is a good example of this, as it was painted at Haugfoss as a student at Frits Thaulow's outdoor academy.

Master Thaulow is also represented in the exhibition with three paintings. But the artist with the greatest local connection is Theodor Kittelsen. With the Kittelsen Museum at Koboltgruvene, home to one of Norway's largest collections of the fairytale artist's originals, Kittelsen is the one we know best. So it's almost as if it was written in the stars that a rare scoop would occur when the planning of the exhibition was underway.

Tirilil Tove at Værket

As Blaafarveværket and the exhibition's curator Sverre Følstad write in the exhibition catalogue:

On 8 June 2023, the auction house Grev Wedels Plass Auctions offered Theodor Kittelsen's picture series Tirilil Tove. A total of 12 pictures, which were commissioned by Kittelsen in 1900 and have since been kept together within the same family. There was considerable advance interest in the series. After a fresh round of bidding with several participants, a private buyer won the bid. The following day, the series was deposited in the Blaafarveværket collection. It is hard to imagine anything more than a pat on the back, or a kick up the backside, for putting together an exhibition with a forest theme.

Sverre Følstad

The series was painted the year after Kittelsen moved into Lauvlia in Sigdal. The starting point was that art collector Olaf Schau had placed an order for "a couple of pictures", as Signe Endresen writes in the exhibition catalogue. 1,000 was the advance payment for the project, which resulted in 12 drawings done in pencil, pen, crayon and watercolour on paper. The title is taken from the legend "Tirrelil Tove and Tyvenborg", which was compiled by Andreas Faye in Ringerike and first published in 1833. Johan Sebastian Welhaven later used these legends as inspiration for his poetry. Kittelsen refers to both Faye and Welhaven in the images.

Sequence is important when showing a series. Kittelsen himself numbered Tirilil Tove. Although it has been shown in several different sequences throughout history, at Blaafarveværket you can see it in Kittelsen's original sequence. A separate room is dedicated so that Kittelsen's depictions of animals, atmosphere and people in the forest can be viewed on their own.

A total of 26 artists are represented in the exhibition. Names such as Balke, Baade, Welhaven Heiberg, Hertevig, Sørensen and Cappelen are in addition to the above-mentioned names that resonate well in Norwegian art.

View creations - dioramas in the Kittelsen Gallery

What is a diorama? That's a question many people might ask themselves when they hear it for the first time. The Norwegian Encyclopaedia tells us that it's "an illusionistic three-dimensional overall picture achieved with the help of decorations and objects".

When Ingvild Eiring When she enters the Kittelsen Museum with her dioramas, it is mice that play the leading role. At a scale of 1:12, she has created small tableaux depicting various scenes from cultural history over the centuries. The craftsmanship and attention to detail are impressive when you see the mice playing human characters with the utmost naturalness.

The spark for this exhibition could be said to have been lit on Instagram. When Eiring showed his diorama "Lost forever Time and Space" from 2023, which depicts a sleeping security guard in front of works created by one of Eiring's great role models, Theodor Kittelsen, curator Sverre Følstad was sold.

Ingvild Eiring herself describes her relationship with Kittelsen as follows:

Theodor Kittelsen is an artist who is close to my heart. The scene I have created is a tribute to his art. Five well-known motifs have been chosen and I have painted miniature replicas in oil. The frames are made of wood and metal. The guard assigned to guard the treasures is a mouse molded in polymer clay, burned and painted. The clothes are made of black wool and white cotton. As a viewer, you can see him quietly dozing off, into a dream-like state that the paintings put him in. With the diorama, I wanted to express the adventurous influence that I myself experience from Kittelsen's drawings and paintings. The environment is inspired by the Adventure Room at the National Museum.

Ingvild Eiring

In addition, a brand new diorama is presented in this exhibition, set in the Cobalt Mines. If you have been to mining trip You can recognise yourself in the Cobalt Mines. And, of course, the miners are played by mice.

KELIM at Nyfossum

The timber barn at Nyfossum has a long tradition of exhibiting handicrafts. All the colours of the world are on display in the carpets shown in The timber barn at Nyfossum i 2024.

The term Kelim describes the weaving technique itself. Kelim weaving is common in North Africa, Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Armenia, Dagestan, Chechnya, etc. In Norway and the rest of the world, these techniques are also widespread. This simple, basic weaving technique has existed for thousands of years. In Persia, now Iran, we know that many villages wove carpets with their own, localised ornaments that became their distinctive features as early as 1,000 years ago, and they have existed up to the present day. Kilim weaving is a craft that originally belonged to nomads and villagers, less so in the cities, and is alive and well today. The exhibition will showcase a rich selection of antique varieties made with hand-spun and plant-dyed wool, all in very good condition.

Lars Nygård is the man behind the exhibition. His experience with oriental rugs stretches back several decades. Nygård's experience with Blaafarveværket also extends back to the 1980s, when he helped create the exhibition at Nyfossum.

With these three exhibitions, everyone should be able to go home after a day at Blaafarveværket having seen something they liked, got excited about and were fascinated by.