Only a few artists are able to make the color in a watercolor glow from within. Emil Nolde undoubtedly brought this art to perfection.
The present work from 1947, which the artist himself labeled “Freundinnen (Girlfriends)”, bears his unmistakable signature.
The intimacy of the friends is seemingly interrupted by the viewer, who is looked at directly by the protagonists. The color blossoms on the paper, the strong cadmium red and the light ochre are typical components of Nolde's color palette.
The contours indicated by the colors were later traced in pencil and accentuated with white or light colors.
The authenticity of the work has been confirmed by Dr. Martin Urban of the Nolde Foundation, Seebüll.
unique piece | signed | inscribed | watercolour and pencil on paper | framed | size 49.5 x 39.5 cm
1867-1956
Emil Nolde (born Hans Emil Hansen until 1902, when he named himself after his birthplace) is considered one of the most important German Expressionists.
Nolde was briefly a member of the “Brücke” and the Berlin Secession. Shortly after Nolde left the “Brücke” artists' association at the end of 1907, he met the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch in Berlin, whose works made a great impression on him.
During a visit from his friend Hans Fehr in 1908, he began to discover the technique of watercolor painting for himself and eventually mastered it. Today, Nolde's oeuvre includes numerous watercolor works, oil paintings, prints and several sculptures. His intensive use of color is characteristic; although the artist always remained figurative in his motifs - landscapes, flowers, city scenes, religious motifs - he “composed” his pictures entirely from color.
Nolde's position on National Socialism was problematic, as researchers have long since established. His expulsion from the Reich Chamber of Fine Arts meant that Nolde was banned from exhibiting, selling and publishing his work. Nolde repeatedly tried to be rehabilitated and recognized as a state artist. However, he was denied this until the end. His painting was simply not formally compatible with the ideas of the National Socialists.
Despite Nolde's contradictory ideological positions, the artistic value of his work remains undisputed to this day. Nolde's ability to make the color in an oil painting or watercolor glow from within is unmatched. Works by Emil Nolde can be found in the collections of high-ranking museums worldwide, including the Art Institute in Chicago, the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, the Brücke-Museum in Berlin, the Albertina in Vienna and the Kunstmuseum in Basel.
