Lot 276 D

Emil Nolde's red dahlias and yellow coneflowers painted in radiant colours strikingly demonstrate how gracefully the artist was able to abstract from nature in the fluid contours of the watercolour. With his brilliant watercolour technique he succeeded in using the brush, watercolour paints and water to dematerialise the manifestation of the flowers' luxuriant splendour, in order to then capture it - in a literal sense - on the paper. In floral paintings his chromatic fantasies attained the greatest possible freedom and it is precisely this captivating quality that distinguishes the present work.
Nolde preferred to find the models for his works among the immediate surroundings of his homes and studios. His garden at Utenwarf was already magnificent, but in Seebüll his dahlias, bellflowers, irises, lilies, poppies and sunflowers grew in even greater abundance and diversity. As a painter Nolde translated the floral splendour he found there into resonant colours, without having to relinquish that bond with nature which would always represent the foundation of his work.