3240 - KARL SCHMIDT-ROTTLUFF

KARL SCHMIDT-ROTTLUFF (Rottluff 1884–1976 Berlin) Magnolias. 1947. Oil on canvas. Signed upper left: S. Rottluff. Signed, titled, inscribed, and numbered on the back of the stretcher: Schmidt=Rottluff “Magnolien= / =gewachst= ((478)).” 90 × 65.5 cm. Provenance: - Collection of Dr. Hans Kerschbaum, Starnberg am See. - Private collection, Germany, in the same family for three generations. Literature: Will Grohmann: Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Stuttgart 1956, p. 267 (ill.; details p. 303). Flowers are among the most frequent subjects in Schmidt-Rottluff’s work, although they have attracted less attention than his landscapes. From the 1920s onward, the artist devoted himself intensively to plants and flowers. He was particularly drawn to exotic species, originally introduced from outside Europe for the exceptional beauty of their blossoms or their fragrance. On the one hand, this reflects the general popularity of such plants at the time. For Schmidt-Rottluff, however, their unfamiliar leaves and flowers—often almost artificial in appearance—also offered an ideal means of expressing his newly awakened interest in distinctive forms and rhythmic order. He had long since moved beyond his Post-Impressionist style of painting. In his work, he sought structure and a closer relationship to reality, without sacrificing expressiveness or emotion. The elemental forces of nature were to be experienced through all the senses. The result was a series of magnificent, vividly colored, and expressive flower paintings, including this mature work, “Magnolien,” from 1947. Reduced to its essential characteristics, the flowering branch becomes a field of interaction between form and color. The voluminous blossoms, glowing pale lilac, spread across the entire pictorial space, their petals extending in every direction. Their contrast with the dark background lends them even greater presence. Other formal elements—the blue vase, yellow bowl, and draped cloth on the table—give structure to the composition and provide appealing accents of color alongside the magnolia branch. Clarity of form, harmony, and color combine to create an image—and a symbol—of beauty and life. * The full tax is charged on this item marked *; that is, VAT is charged on the total amount but will be refunded to purchasers who provide a validly stamped export declaration.