51 - Emil Nolde

Emil Nolde Rote, blaue und weiße Tulpenblüten in einer Vase Around 1930/1940 Watercolour on Japan laid paper. 34.5 x 48.1 cm. Framed under glass. Signed 'Nolde.' in brown-black pen lower right. - A cloverleaf-shaped, red collection stamp of the Nolde Stiftung Seebüll with inventory number verso. - In fine condition. The right sheet margin somewhat irregularly cut. With a photo-certificate by Manfred Reuther, Klockries, dated 7 October 2019; the watercolour is registered and documented in his archive under the number "Nolde A-147/2019". We would like to thank the Nolde Stiftung Seebüll for kind additional information. Provenance Collection of the Nolde Stiftung Seebüll (until 1967); Otto Stangl Gallery, Munich (acquired by the foundation); private collection, North Germany, estate Here, for once, Nolde does not reach for the splendour of the flowers in his garden for the motif of this image; instead, he selects the luxuriant abundance of a large bouquet of tulips. The flowers, which are diverse in terms of both colour and form, almost bursting across the edges of the sheet, form a festive and rustic spring bouquet in a simple vase. However, Nolde has placed an artistic and cool accent in the exotic effect of the blue tulip flowers that had fascinated him since the 1920s. The watercolours have been applied in saturated tones on top of a fine grey and stand in contrast to the red flower hats and the delicate white blossoms. Nolde has used dynamic and sweeping strokes of the brush to outline their silhouettes in grey, their white petals seem to bundle together the light. Nolde's watercolour technique remains natural, visually there are fine balances, but everything nonetheless seems to have been spontaneously thrown down on the sheet.