Bridging East And West

This article examines the interplay between Scandinavian art and Orientalism in the 1910s through two intertwined discourses: artistic interest in Islamic art and the appropriation of Islamic art into the genealogy of Scandinavian folk art. Through the lens of prominent public scholars in the 1910s, Jens Thiis, Robert R. Martin, and Harry Fett, the article discusses the complexities of Scandinavian Orientalism, a concept positioning Scandinavian artists as cultural intermediaries between East and West. By analyzing the influence of Islamic decorative arts on Scandinavian modern paintings by Jean Heiberg and Henrik Sørensen, the article highlights the dual narratives of admiration for and appropriation of non-Western visual culture, revealing the tensions between the desire for artistic innovation and the critique of foreign influence within the context of national identity. Scandinavian artists viewed their work as a bridge between domestic and Islamic artistic traditions, shaping a unique modern visual language that both embraced and contested the boundaries of national identity within the framework of the folk tradition and modern painting.