Emil Nolde - Hohe See unter violettem Himmel, 1930-35

Emil Nolde 

Hohe See unter violettem Himmel, 1930-35

Object description

High seas under violet skies . Around 1930/1935.
Watercolor and opaque white.
Signed lower right. On Japan. 36.5 x 50.3 cm (14.3 x 19.8 in), the full sheet.
The proceeds from the sale will benefit the construction of a Buddhist world peace stupa in Grafenwörth, Lower Austria. Further information on the construction project can be found at: www.friedensstupa.at.

With a photo expertise from Prof. Dr. Manfred Reuther from July 2, 2017.

PROVENANCE: Private collection, Vienna.

"Everything primal and primal beings captivated my senses again and again. The great, roaring sea is still in its primal state, the wind, the sun, yes the starry sky is almost as it was fifty thousand years ago."
Emil Nolde in his autobiography (II, 197)
"Emil Nolde experienced the sea as an elementary elemental force early on and absorbed it deeply into himself." Everything primal and primordial always captivated my senses, "notes the painter in his autobiography. In his watercolor painting, the peculiarity of this motif offered him unlimited possibilities, To use color as his essential means of expression in its rich variety and unbridled power freely available, as it were as a natural event to let the image unfold in a virtuoso game alone from the color. Sky and sea penetrate each other and find a furious, yet unbreakable unity . "
Prof. Dr. Manfred Reuther

essay

Nolde's interpretations of landscape, sea and sky are always interpretations of his own mood. He did not see the landscape in the sense of a realism that, dressed in expressive colors, comes across as new and exciting. His landscapes are permeated by the will to bring the metaphysics inherent in nature to life, to allow the viewer to understand them. It was not until 1920 that Nolde began to use watercolors to create depictions of the sea. In this technique he has so far achieved an unsurpassable mastery. In order to give the representation more depth, he also pointedly uses opaque white. The typical dark blue of the North Sea is complemented by turquoise tones, which gives the presentation a certain lightness. The sea looks less threatening, but refreshing and inviting. The dark purple tinted sky underlines the peaceful, melancholy evening mood of the day that is coming to an end. Despite the surging sea, the depiction exudes a mysterious calm. The artist makes the viewer responsible. No firm hold is offered, he is right in the middle of the action and is carried by the emotions that Nolde saw as a determining factor in the composition of the composition.