Lot 216 D

In circa 1911/1912 Emil Nolde began to integrate art objects like masks, ceramics, exotic figures and figures of saints - some of them from his own collection - into his still lifes (see comparative illus.). These objects enliven the compositions and provide them with a very distinctive, sometimes mysterious or also intimate effect. At the same time one is inclined to say that all of the works of this masterful watercolourist could be interpreted as religious in a wider sense, as a universal homage to life and creation. Beginning around 1915, Nolde repeatedly took up diverse variations on the combination of a Madonna with flowers. It can thus be understood as a motif that possessed timeless validity for him. The present composition is particularly attractive not only because of the harmonious dialogue in terms of content but also because of the vibrant and cheerful colour harmony.