Lot 447 Dα

With a rapid brushstroke and thinly applied paint, Otto Modersohn has created an enchanting summer scene here. According to Rainer Noeres the work depicts the Hoops farmstead's bakehouse, which was located directly next to the Wümme river, in Fischerhude. This little village near Worpswede became Modersohn's new home after the death of Paula Modersohn-Becker in 1907. He would live there - with the exception of his extended travels - until the end of his life.
This painting in a vertical format develops its distinctive appeal primarily through the depicted reflections in the water, which simultaneously intensify the luminous colours of the blue sky, the green vegetation and the topography of the bakehouse's roof. This idyll is provided with captivating accents not only through the red roofs but also through the wooden planks, which lean against a tree and produce a wedge-shaped reflection in the water, and the dark punt in the foreground. The latter extends sharply into the image from its lower edge and irresistibly draws in the viewer, as though for an outing by boat.