Emil Nolde

Emil Nolde Portrait of a young woman (with earrings) 1921 Watercolor on fine Japanese handmade paper. 47,4 x 34,5 cm. Framed under glass. Signed 'Nolde' in pencil lower left. - In good condition. With a photo-expertise by Manfred Reuther, Klockries, dated February 11, 2023. The work is registered and documented in his archive under the number "Nolde A - 262/2023". Provenance Family owned for three generations Israel An extended trip, begun in February 1921, took the Nolde couple first to southern France, then on through Barcelona and Malaga to their main destination of Granada in the very south of the Iberian Peninsula, where they stayed for a month. Nolde was impressed by the magnificent centuries-old buildings of Granada, but he was particularly captivated by the "gitanos," an ethnic group that had lived outside the city in the Sacromonte district since the 16th century. Their temperament, the cheerful informality that the painter perceived in these people, and the colorfulness of their clothing attracted him to capture the exuberant impressions in numerous watercolors - a technique that enabled him to work quickly and spontaneously. Against a mostly colored background, he portrayed women, men, and children in strong color contrasts and with personal attributes. The young girl depicted here is characterized by the golden creoles peeking out from under her thick black hair. She looks towards the viewer with reserved seriousness. Emil Nolde's mastery of being able to characterize his subject with just a few brushstrokes is once again evident in this portrait. The graceful lines of the neck and chin, the full lips and the bridge of the nose are formed by securely placed contours that are only hinted at, while the summarily rendered dark eyes are particularly expressive. Light falling in from the side gives the portrait an extraordinarily lifelike presence.