Lovis Corinth

Dr. Arthur Rosin, Berlin & New York
Thence by descent to the present owner

 

Basel, Kunsthalle Basel, Deutsche Malerei des 19. Jahrhunderts, 1917
Zurich, Kunsthaus Zürich, Deutsche Malerei, 1917, no. 10
Berlin, National-Galerie, 1923, no. 99
Berlin, National-Galerie, Lovis Corinth, 1926, no. 289, illustrated in the catalogue
New York, Curt Valentin Gallery, 1953, no. 4
Wolfsburg, Volkswagenwerk, Lovis Corinth, 1958
Basel, Kunsthalle Basel, Lovis Corinth 1858-1925, 1958, no. 83
Munich, Städtische Galerie, Lovis Corinth, 1958, no. 99
London, Tate Gallery, Lovis Corinth, 1959, no. 45
New York, Gallery of Modern Art, Lovis Corinth, 1964, no. 48

Charlotte Berend-Corinth, Lovis Corinth, Die Gemälde, Werkverzeichnis, Munich, 1992, no. 723, illustrated p. 715

The canvas is not lined. Apart from a 1cm. line of retouching running across the upper edge, visible under UV light, this work is in very good condition. Colours: Overall fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, although more saturated in the original.
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The paintings that Corinth completed during the later years of his life are among his most stylistically complete. They demonstrate a higher level of expressiveness than some of his earlier canvases and are explicitly modern interpretations of the natural world. The rich heavy impasto brushstrokes combined with a strong, deep palette are characteristic of the artist's flower paintings. The vase positioned centrally in the painting is a motif that appears repeatedly in his still-lifes whilst the pink, red and darker green-grey tones, contrasted with the white and lighter tones of the abstracted cloth in the background create a sense of dynamic equilibrium within the composition.

Painted at the height of the artist's career, Rosa Rosen of 1917 powerfully exhibits the expressive brushwork and vigorous, painterly style of Corinth's mature œuvre. Writing about these late works, Georg Bussmann commented: 'He rejoices in painting wet upon wet, in painting colour upon colour, in smudging them and then stopping suddenly and simply allowing them to glow' (G. Bussmann, 'Lovis Corinth: The Late Works', in German Art in the Twentieth Century. Painting and Sculpture 1905-1985 (exhibition catalogue), Royal Academy of Arts, London, 1985, p. 436).