Häuser am Hardangerfjord als Orte deutsch-norwegischer Kulturkontakte: Bertha Rohlsen, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff und Bess Mensendieck in Lofthus

Abstract

Due to its impressive nature and culture, the Hardanger region was a well-known and popular destination for Germans at the beginning of the 20th century. In the small village of Lofthus, art collector Bertha Rohlsen and gymnastics pioneer Bess Mensendieck even moved into their own summer homes. The expressionist painter Karl Schmidt-Rottluff was also a guest there and created images of the North that broke with traditional ways of seeing. This article examines the cultural contacts between people and landscape as well as the different kinds of cultural transfers that were made possible by the experience of space.