Lot 269 D

In the rather unusual composition of this watercolour Karl Schmidt-Rottluff has brought out the luxuriant and blossoming splendour of the peonies. The two vases with flowers have been placed on two surfaces, presumably a table and a shelf, in such a way that the long-stemmed flowers at the bottom merge together with the shorter, more compact bouquet at the top to form a single cloud of petals in varying shades of pink. The containers have been kept simple, the surrounding space is only suggested and the colour has been applied through rapid, loose motions. The edges and surfaces of the shelf, which are positioned diagonally to the picture plane, and the rising vertical line of a frame bar in the background provide structure to the pictorial space and insert accents of colour.