Sunflowers (Nolde)

Last updated

Sunflowers is an oil-on-canvas painting by the German-Danish painter Emil Nolde, created in 1926. It was the first in a series of sunflower paintings, and also the first of more than fifty oil paintings on the same subject in Nolde's work. The sunflowers where a prominent motif among his flower paintings. The current painting has the dimensions of 72 by 90 cm, and is signed on the lower right edge of the canvas. [1]

Contents

History and description

Nolde painted over fifty oil paintings dedicated to sunflowers and also created a series of works where he dealt particularly with them. As the first painting on this subject, Nolde titled it simply Sunflowers. Other sunflower paintings were given more differentiated titles such as Tall Sunflowers, or Dahlias and Sunflowers. The influence of Vincent van Gogh can also be noticed in these works. [2]

For Nolde, animals, plants and other natural phenomena had a soul and took on personal traits. Flowers appeared to him as living beings with sentiments and moods that reflected his own feelings. The sunflowers are depicted in this painting as half-length figures, their faces turned towards the viewer. Unlike, for example, in the painting Ripe Sunflowers, where the flowers slope downwards, here the sunflowers appear to be looking straight at the viewer. [3]

The current painting depicts three sunflower blossoms in strong yellow tones with leaves and stems in a frontal view, whereby it only shows the upper half of the plants. Phlox umbels and leaves in shades of yellow and red can be seen in the left third of the image. Below the high horizon line, an undifferentiated dark brown earth tone forms the background, above the horizon some clouds and sky blue can be seen. The comparatively somber colors that define a large part of the painting area are striking.

Provenance

The current Sunflowers, created in 1926, was shown in the German section of an exhibition of international art in Pittsburgh, in 1930, where they caused a stir, like the other works on display by painters like Oskar Kokoschka. In the next two decades the work was in the artist's possession.

In 1950, the General Director of Northwest German Broadcasting (NWDR), Adolf Grimme, bought the painting directly from Nolde, whom he had known before the war, by DM 10,000. In 1955/56, the NDR broadcasting corporations, which still exists, emerged from the NWDR and WD. The painting remained in the NDR and hung in an office at the Hamburg state radio station of the NDR on Rothenbaumchaussee, until it was stolen in 1979, together with Nolde's watercolor Landscape with Farmhouse. [4]

For a long time, the theft remained unsolved. The rooms had been locked over the weekend, and there were no signs of a break-in when the painting disappeared. Finally, in 2017, a Berlin widow contacted NDR's legal advisor and stated that she had the painting. According to her story, her deceased husband had received it as a gift from a friend who was a production employee at NDR. He had allegedely bought the painting for "little money" from the NDR. This NDR employee had also died in the meantime, so the truthfulness of the information couldn't be checked. The owner of the painting stated that she thought that it was a reproduction and when she was searching for the location of the original, she discovered that it had been listed as stolen. She then contacted the NDR via a lawyer. Due to the complex legal situation, the NDR paided EUR 20,000 to the widow for the return of the painting. [5]

The NDR had the authenticity of the painting examined by the Berlin Rathgen Institute , which concluded that it had been created in 1926. Manfred Reuther, the director of the Nolde Foundation Seebüll, appraised the work from an historical point of view, and concluded that it was indeed a painting by Nolde, and that the signature, brushwork, colors, technique, canvas and motifs, and its general condition, indicated that it had been created in the period in question. [6]

It was later decided that the painting was to be exhibited in the Nolde Stiftung Seebüll. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emil Nolde</span> German painter

Emil Nolde was a German-Danish painter and printmaker. He was one of the first Expressionists, a member of Die Brücke, and was one of the first oil painting and watercolor painters of the early 20th century to explore color. He is known for his brushwork and expressive choice of colors. Golden yellows and deep reds appear frequently in his work, giving a luminous quality to otherwise somber tones. His watercolors include vivid, brooding storm-scapes and brilliant florals.

Das Erste is the flagship national television channel of the ARD association of public broadcasting corporations in Germany. Das Erste is jointly operated by the nine regional public broadcasting corporations that are members of the ARD.

<i>Sunflowers</i> (Van Gogh series) Series of paintings by Vincent van Gogh

Sunflowers is the title of two series of still life paintings by the Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh. The first series, executed in Paris in 1887, depicts the flowers lying on the ground, while the second set, made a year later in Arles, shows a bouquet of sunflowers in a vase. In the artist's mind, both sets were linked by the name of his friend Paul Gauguin, who acquired two of the Paris versions. About eight months later, Van Gogh hoped to welcome and impress Gauguin again with Sunflowers, now part of the painted Décoration for the Yellow House that he prepared for the guestroom of his home in Arles, where Gauguin was supposed to stay. After Gauguin's departure, Van Gogh imagined the two major versions as wings of the Berceuse Triptych, and finally, he included them in his Les XX in Bruxelles exhibit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Städel</span> Art museum in Frankfurt, Germany

The Städel, officially the Städelsches Kunstinstitut und Städtische Galerie, is an art museum in Frankfurt, with one of the most important collections in Germany. The Städel Museum owns 3,100 paintings, 660 sculptures, more than 4,600 photographs and more than 100,000 drawings and prints. It has around 7,000 m2 (75,000 sq ft) of display and a library of 115,000 books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berlin Secession</span> German artistic movement

The Berlin Secession was an art movement established in Germany on May 2, 1898. Formed in reaction to the Association of Berlin Artists, and the restrictions on contemporary art imposed by Kaiser Wilhelm II, 65 artists "seceded," demonstrating against the standards of academic or government-endorsed art. The movement is classified as a form of German Modernism, and came on the heels of several other secessions in Germany, including Jugendstil and the Munich Secession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden</span>

The Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden, also known as the Kriegsblindenpreis is the most important literary prize granted to playwrights of audio plays written in the German language. The award was established in 1950 by the Bund der Kriegsblinden Deutschlands e.V. (BKD), a German organization for soldiers and civilians blinded during war, whether from working with munitions or explosives or from a bomb attack or while in flight from an attack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthias Laurenz Gräff</span> Austrian artist and historian

Matthias Laurenz Gräff is an Austrian academic painter, private historian, politician, political activist and co-organizer of the non-partisan political and diplomatic platform Dialog im Kamptal. Since 2013 he acted as chairman of the worldwide Family Association Gräff-Graeff.

<i>Self-Portrait with a Sunflower</i> 1632–1633 painting by Anthony van Dyck

Self-Portrait with a Sunflower is a self-portrait by Anthony van Dyck, a Flemish Baroque artist from Antwerp, Spanish Netherlands. The oil on canvas is thought to have been painted between the years 1632 and 1633. Produced at the height of his fame, Anthony van Dyck served as "principal Paynter in order to their Majesties" in the court of Charles I of England whilst working on this self-portrait. The symbolism behind the sunflower and gold chain have been a point of contention amongst various art historians. His successful ventures in the southern part of the Netherlands and Italy propelled him into a career as court painter and made him a favourite of King Charles I and his court. Van Dyck's devotion for capturing the likeness of his models gave him authority over the world of portraiture long after his death in 1641. With such a long and storied career in art, his portrait technique evolved into what is referred to as his Late English period as seen in Self-Portrait with a Sunflower. This work is now in the private collection of the Duke of Westminster, housed at Eaton Hall in Cheshire.

<i>The Sin</i> (Stuck) 1893 painting by Franz Stuck

The Sin is an 1893 painting by the German artist Franz Stuck. Stuck created twelve known versions of the painting. Some of these can be viewed at the Neue Pinakothek, in Munich, the National Gallery, in Berlin, the Galleria di arte Moderna, in Palermo, the Frye Art Museum, in Seattle, and at the Villa Stuck, in Munich, where it is enshrined in the artist's Künstleraltar. It depicts the nude Eve with a large serpent wrapped around her body. In the upper right corner is a bright field, while the rest of the surroundings are dark.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emmi Walther</span> German painter

Emmi Louise Walther was a German painter, graphic artist and watercolorist. Most of her works are in the Art Nouveau or Symbolist styles.

Today the term South Seas, or South Sea, most commonly refers to the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of the equator. The term South Sea may also be used synonymously for Oceania, or even more narrowly for Polynesia or the Polynesian Triangle, an area bounded by the Hawaiian Islands, New Zealand and Easter Island. Pacific Islanders are commonly referred to as South Sea Islanders, particularly in Australia.

The Flensburg stabbing incident occurred on 30 May 2018, when a female police officer traveling off-duty on a high-speed train in Flensburg, Germany, was stabbed by an Eritrean man. He next attacked a male passenger who came to her aid. The perpetrator was then shot and killed by the police officer. The motive behind the stabbing was not clear. The man was a refugee, who had arrived in Germany in September 2015 and had a history of violent altrications. The incident was not considered terrorism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ernst Rump</span> German merchant, art patron and collector

Ernst August Max Friedrich Rump was a German merchant, art patron and collector. In 1912, he wrote the Lexikon der bildenden Künstler Hamburgs, Altonas und der näheren Umgebung, which became a classic; generally referred to as Der Rump.

<i>Fox</i> (Marc) Painting by Franz Marc

Fox, also known as Blue and Black Fox or Blue Fox, is an oil on canvas painting by Franz Marc, from 1911. It is part of the collection of the Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Katrin Suder</span>

Katrin Suder is a German physicist and management consultant who served as State Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Defense in the government of Chancellor Angela Merkel from 2014 to 2018.

<i>Portrait of a Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat</i> Painting by Frans Hals

The Portrait of a Man in a Wide-Brimmed Hat is a work by the Dutch Golden-Age artist Frans Hals. It was painted in about 1625–1635 and hangs in the Herzogliches Museum, part of the Friedenstein Palace complex at Gotha, Germany. It was stolen in 1979, recovered in 2019, and restored in 2020–2021.

<i>Archers</i> (Kirchner) Painting by Ernst Ludwig Kirchner

Archers is an oil-on-canvas painting by German painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, created in 1935–1937, at his Swiss home town of Davos. It belongs to his last phase, in which he abandoned the Expressionism of his earlier work. The painting depicts three people engaged in the sport of archery. On the back it bears the signature EL Kirchner. The painting is part of the collection of the Kirchner Museum Davos.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nolde Stiftung Seebüll</span> Museum in Seebüll, Schleswig-Holstein

The Nolde Stiftung Seebüll, also known as Stiftung Seebüll Ada und Emil Nolde, in English, the Nolde Foundation Seebüll, or the Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde Foundation, is a foundation established in 1956, who is the sponsor of an art museum in Seebüll, in Schleswig-Holstein, dedicated to the life and works of the German painter Emil Nolde. The museum was opened in 1957, after Nolde's death, by the Seebüll Ada and Emil Nolde Foundation.

The Last Supper is an oil-on-canvas painting by Danish German painter Emil Nolde, created in 1909. It is held in the National Gallery of Denmark, in Copenhagen.

Dance Around the Golden Calf is an oil-on-canvas painting by German-Danish painter Emil Nolde, created in 1910. It is held at the Pinakothek der Moderne, in Munich.

References

  1. ↑ "Nach fast 40 Jahren: Verschollenes Nolde-Gemälde wieder aufgetaucht", in Spiegel Online, 26 November 2018 (German)]
  2. ↑ "Claudia Christophersen über das Sonnenblumen-Bild von Emil Nolde", NDR, retrieved on 1 December 2018 (German)
  3. ↑ Werner Haftmann, Emil Nolde, Cologne, 1959, p. 112 (German)
  4. ↑ Carsten Germis, "Wundersame Rückkehr: Kunstkrimi um gestohlene "Sonnenblumen“ von Emil Nolde", in FAZ.NET, 25 November 2018 (German)
  5. ↑ Carsten Germis, "Wundersame Rückkehr: Kunstkrimi um gestohlene "Sonnenblumen“ von Emil Nolde", in FAZ.NET, 25 November 2018 (German)
  6. ↑ "Claudia Christophersen über das Sonnenblumen-Bild von Emil Nolde", NDR, retrieved on 1 December 2018 (German)
  7. ↑ "Gestohlenes Nolde-Gemälde wieder aufgetaucht", NDR, retrieved 1 December 2018 (German)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.