Emil Nolde Lot n° 40

Emil Nolde Irises and Asters Watercolor on thin Japanese paper. 36 x 47 cm. Framed under glass. Signed 'Nolde' in brown ink lower left. Numbered '10' in black in the lower left corner. - Extremely fresh colors and in good condition, the signature minimally faded as is often the case. Provenance Estate of the artist, Jolanthe Nolde, Heidelberg; since then in family possession, Switzerland With iris, coneflower and asters, Emil Nolde combined three types of flowers with very different characteristics in this enchanting sill life. The cool tones of blue, light violet and red combine to form a harmonious triad, each accentuated by the bright yellow stamens. Nolde's unsurpassed watercolor technique brings out the natural luminosity of the flowers with extraordinary brilliance and depth. The special feature of his floral still lifes lies in the naturalness with which he depicted the plants, which contrasts with the usually deliberately arranged still lifes. Nolde was interested in capturing the beauty and colorfulness of the flowers as he encountered them in his famous garden in Seebüll. The lush refuge in the middle of the vast grasslands of North Friesland, laid out in the style of a country garden, provided the artist with inexhaustible inspiration for decades, which he immortalized with great passion in ever new, colourful compositions.