Emil Nolde is considered a watercolor master. This technique became increasingly important in his artistic work, especially in the second half of his life, and, in terms of quality, is on par with his oil paintings. In just a short time, he achieved a level of mastery that is second to none. In addition to classic watercolors, he also worked with tempera, ink, and colored chalks, thereby redefining the boundaries of the technique. Watercolor painting requires the artist to be both fast and in control, and the fascinating thing about it is its immense luminosity. The wet paint must be applied quickly, and the right moment to finish the work must be identified to preserve the color and textural contrasts.

Emil Nolde transformed the delicate beauty and magnificent colors of flowers into bearers of powerful expression expression by using his preferred technique. Over the decades, the colorful plants in his garden served him as a rich and seemingly endless source of inspiration. A quote from the artist reveals the visual allure that they held for him throughout his life:"I was irresistibly drawn to the flowers' colors, and almost suddenly, I found myself painting. [..] I loved the blooming colors and their purity." (Emil Nolde, quoted in: Manfred Reuther, Nolde Stiftung Seebüll, Emil Nolde. Mein Garten voller Blumen, Seebüll and Cologne 2010, cover).

In the present work “Sommerastern” (Summer Asters), he allows the rich, vibrant colors to take up almost the entire picture surface. In a close-up view, he concentrates primarily on the flowers' yellow, red, and orange tones. With a few green stems, he emphasizes the vertical and suggests a diffuse background with deep blue nuances, which hints at a cold summer day in stark contrast to the flowers. He usually painted the subjects directly before him, capturing the fleeting impression of the visual stimuli on paper with the speed and spontaneity that only the watercolor technique permits. For Emil Nolde, color was the essential element and the primary means of expression in his art. “Yellow can paint happiness and pain. There is fiery red, blood red, and rose red. There is silver-blue, sky-blue, and thunderstorm-blue. Every color carries its soul, making me happy or repulsive and inspiring.
This work, too, shows the artist's great passion for the motif, which finds its technical equivalent in the watercolor. The petals, rendered with great attention to detail, pulsate in their different nuances and, as an almost ornamental surface, unfold that mysterious luminosity that is so characteristic of Nolde. [AR]


The "Brücke": Expressionism on Paper – The Passion of a German Collector

The Hessian collector recollects his first encounter with Expressionist art to this day: it was shortly after the end of World War II that he was struck by Karl Schmidt-Rottluff paintings on a visit to the Frankfurter Kunstkabinett. The gallery was one of the first in Germany to offer art lovers an opportunity to see works by the artists of the "Brücke" group again, as they had been ostracized as "degenerate" by the Nazis. One of the main reasons behind Hanna Bekker von Rath's decision to open the place on Börsenplatz in Frankfurt in 1947 was to provide a forum for these artists after the dark years of Nazi rule and to reintroduce them to the public. “These works blew me away” is how the collector recalls his initial reaction to the exhibits. He liked Schmidt-Rottluff's rugged, woodcut-like style and subsequently also developed a liking for the other members of the “Brücke”, whose style was so different from what had previously been considered “beautiful”. Together with his wife – who was particularly interested in the works of Otto Mueller and Emil Nolde – he visited many more exhibitions at the Frankfurt Kunstkabinett and other galleries.

Nevertheless, it was about more than just admiring them. In 1962, the couple bought their first Expressionist work at auction in Stuttgart – from Roman Norbert Ketterer, the uncle of the current owner of Ketterer Kunst: Ernst Ludwig Kirchner's woodcut "Drei Akte im Wald" from 1933 marked the beginning of the couple's extensive collection of "Brücke" prints.

He never had a specific system, says the collector. However, he avoided acquiring pieces that “many others had as well”. He was particularly interested in works produced in small numbers, pieces with a unique feature such as an additional coat of paint, or works that the artist used as trial proofs. But first and foremost, says the collector, “I made my purchases based on my taste”.

Further works from the collection will be offered in our Evening Sale on Friday, December 6, 2024, and in the simultaneous Online Sale (Auction ends on December 15, 2024)