Sverre Koren Bjertnæs: Jan Fridthjof Bernt, 1999
Jan Fridtjof Bernt (1943-) is Professor of Law. He became Rector of the University of Bergen in 1996, and could draw from previous experience such as Pro-rector from 1990 to -92, Vice Dean of the Faculty of Law 1988-89, and director of the Department of Public Law 1984-87.
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Bernt was appointed Officer of the Order of St. Olav in 2000, and Grand Knight of the Icelandic Order of the Falcon in 1996. He currently holds a number of positions, including Chairman of the Board of the Ludvig Holberg Memorial Fund, the Ethics Programme at the University, and the Christian Michelsen Institute.
The portrait of Bernt is painted in photo-realistic detail. He is seated at a round table wearing a dark suit, his hands loosely clasped on top of the table. He turns his head directly towards us. We see parts of a picture hanging in the upper left corner. The color tones in the image go from brown to light purple. The dark palette is eased by the strong light, and by the red book lying on the table as a sign of Bernt's office.
Sverre Koren Bjertnæs (1976-) is a painter and printmaker. He exhibited for the first time when he was only 15 years old, in a group exhibition of the Nerdrum School at Blomqvist in Oslo. Since then, he has moved from a classical Nerdrum style to a more subdued and photo-realistic expression, with darker themes. He received the Blix Scholarship in 1999, the Anders Jahre Prize for Young Artists in 2005, and was the first recipient of the Håkon Bleken scholarship in 2008.
NORA SØRENSEN VAAGE