The University of Freiburg invited Ernst Wilhelm Nay to create a mural for the newly built Department of Chemistry vestibule in the early summer of 1956. The space in question was the back wall of the very spacious but relatively low entrance hall. Nay accepted the commission unconditionally and decided on a canvas painting on a stretcher extending across the entire wall. Over the year, he realized that it had become increasingly vital for him to directly tackle this vast and elongated surface to experience the space and unusual proportions of such a massive white field. To avoid the risk of simply blowing up a draft sketch, Nay refrained from doing any sketches or other preliminary works that would have led directly to his largest painting ever. However, he could not wholly escape his work routine. In addition to three paintings in 80 x 200 cm sizes, he also created around 16 watercolor studies of proportional sizes to approach the enormous surface (255 x 655 cm) excellently. These elongated horizontal watercolors also prove to be unusual not only because of their format but also because they are outstanding in the artist's work.

In this watercolor, Nay avoids the additive juxtaposition of individual formal and rhythmic centers that the frieze-like format would suggest, which the artist sought to avoid. The result is a meticulously conceived composition comparable to a melody in which accentuation, retraction, and the balance of pictorial elements strike the eye. Hence, the artist uses shades of blue, yellow, delicate green, and a few pithy reds to create a sense of moving rhythms. On the one hand, the rhythms transform the flat surface into a self-contained choreography of pictorial forces while at the same time connecting to an all-encompassing rhythmic field that radiates in from the outside. Imagine the radiant energy in this delicate composition projected onto the massive wall in the lobby of the Department of Chemistry, which would transform the bare white wall into a beautiful and alluring surface.

Ernst Wilhelm Nay, however, decided on a bold choreography of circular forms, which complemented the modern style of the entrance hall. The splendor of the intense colors in the sober architecture instantly catches the eyes of those entering the building. With the Freiburg painting, the artist established himself as the leading German colorist of the 20th century. He can design this oversized wall format in a precious and dense way and think through the colored energies that arise in every detail. Nevertheless, back to our watercolor: the rhythmic sequences of colors and dynamic surface rhythms lend this watercolor a vibrant element. The concentration, increased dispersion, and occasional alignment of the disks make up the painting's potential volume. [MvL]