Emil Nolde

Emil Nolde Der seltsame Alte 1938-1945 Watercolour and opaque paint on fine Japan laid paper. 22.5 x 17.7 cm. Framed under glass. Signed 'Nolde' lower right in black ink. - In excellent condition. Photo-certificate from Manfred Reuther, Klockries, from 19 March 2022. The work is registered with the number 'Nolde A - 235/2022' in his archive. Provenance M. Knoedler & Co. New York (label on verso of frame panel); Fischer Fine Art Ltd, London (label on verso of frame panel); Galerie W. Utermann, Dortmund (label on verso of frame panel); private collection, North Rhine-Westphalia; thenceforth family property Exhibitions San Francisco 1981 (Modernism: Art of the 20th Century), German Expressionism (label in verso of frame panel) Many of the so-called “Ungemalte Bilder”, which Emil Nolde painted in the period from 1938 to 1945, are inspired by scenes from the theatre stage. In small-format, but tremendously colourful works, Nolde concentratedly realises groups of figures that are characterised through fantasy-filled costumes, emotions and bizarre portrayals and which usually elude any concrete interpretation in terms of motif. The strange old man of “Der seltsame Alte” dominates the composition as a bearded figure in oriental costume. Two female figures stand opposite him: one is turned to face the viewer frontally while the other is seen from behind, with her head turned in profile. The image is developed entirely out of the colours and attains a radiant intensity that seems to illuminate the pictorial space. At the same time, the palette is limited to the primary colours of yellow, red and blue – modestly supplemented by two tones of brown. Sparing contour lines only vaguely outline the bodies, although the faces are articulated in detail and characterise the ambiguities of the three individuals in an astonishingly precise manner. On the one hand there is the friendly smile of the old man, contradicted by the demonic shadow of the passage surrounding his eye, which gives him an unpredictable aspect; on the other hand, there are the timidly hesitating, but apparently fascinated female figures. This work provides an exceptionally clear demonstration of Nolde’s passionate relationship to colour and the extent of his mastery over it.