Watercolours of sverre Fehn: Toward the architectural abstraction of Hvasser’s landscape.

Abstract

The Pritzker Architecture Prize 1997 was won by a draftsman masked under the skin of an architect, Sverre Fehn. This research analyzes his original watercolors done for decades on the island of Hvasser. This research unravels the cultural heritage embodied in them, as well as the process of abstraction that they represent. Ideas and cultural references found in them range from Romanticism to Abstract Expressionism. Their importance as an inherent part of the creative process of Sverre Fehn’s architecture is stressed. This process is closely linked to the inspirational figure of the ship.