Emil Nolde
Rote, blaue und gelbe Blumen
Circa 1945/1948
Watercolour on thin Japan paper 22.7 x 26/26.7 cm Framed under glass. Signed 'Nolde' in black pen and ink lower right. - The colours very vibrant. On the verso, the margins narrowly framed in thin Japan paper, three margins minimally unevenely cut.
The full richness of colour, for which Emil Nolde's watercolours are famous, is concentrated in this small, almost square work. It is easy to see the extent to which the thinned paint, which was used on moistened paper, chose its own path during application. The material properties of the paint and also the element of chance in the course of the painting process determined the final effect of the painting - for Nolde, an important aspect of this spontaneous, direct technique. The efflorescence of the colour edges, the merging of the implied shapes on the fine, paint-saturated paper constitutes the unmistakable charm of these works.
The basic colours red, blue, and yellow are juxtaposed, almost filling the picture, sometimes even reaching beyond the pictorial space. Although the identifiability of the depicted flowers was of no importance to the artist, he nevertheless succeeded in capturing the characteristic shape and materiality of their blooms.
Certificate
With a photo-certificate from Manfred Reuther, Klockries, dated 11 September 2018. The work is recorded in his archive under "Nolde A - 98/2018".
Provenance
Private Collection, Baden Wuerttemberg
Exhibitions
Kunsthalle Mannheim 2006-2018, permament loan