Watercolor and brush drawing
Signed lower right. On brownish laid paper. 25,5 x 35,5 cm (10 x 13,9 in), the full sheet

Accompanied by a photo expertise from Prof. Martin Urban, Foundation Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde, dated 22 June 1976, confirmed by Prof. Manfred Reuther, dated 14 May 2010.

PROVENANCE: Private collection southern Germany.

A journey to the South Sea that Nolde went on with his wife was led by the specialists in tropical diseases Leber and Külz. The rich impressions made on this trip had left clear traces in the work of Emil Nolde. In no other period of his artistic creation did Nolde express himself so free and easy. This may have partly been due to the regular location changes during the trip, but what Nolde had really gained in during this time, particularly in terms of his watercolors, remains a vital part, perhaps even the most striking, in the artist’s graphic œuvre. Brush drawings and watercolors go hand in hand and make for a fortunate symbiosis. The watercolors of the South Sea, often made under time pressure, obviously express this technique’s actual sense. Emil Nolde had so much mastery in this that he was free enough to create his own interpretation of this fascinating and inspiring strange region. [KD].