Emil Nolde

Sonnenblume is an outstanding example of Emil Nolde’s series of depictions of sunflowers, on which the painter embarked in 1926 and which he continued over the following twenty years of his life (fig. 2). In the present work Nolde captures the looming clouds, the impending storm and the sunflower withstanding the rigorous elements. It was his northern origin that gave Nolde the ability to capture this dramatic atmosphere and allowed the artist to find an understanding of those challenging conditions in nature and life. As Peter Vergo pointed out, flowers symbolised for Nolde the eternal repeated cycle of birth, life and death (P. Vergo, ‘Flowers and Gardens’, in Emil Nolde (exhibition catalogue), Whitechapel Art Gallery, London, 1996, p. 118). The present work appears to be not simply an observation of nature, but also the artist’s reflection on life at the same time.

The artist's engagement with this particular subject matter also demonstrates Nolde’s interest in the work of Vincent van Gogh, particularly in one of his most iconic subject matters – the sunflowers (fig. 3). During the 1920s and early 1930s Nolde saw several exhibitions of the Dutch artist’s work, among others, the major Van Gogh retrospective at the Galerie Paul Cassirer in Berlin in 1928. He also followed closely the notorious Van Gogh forgeries trial in Berlin in April 1932. In his depiction of sunflowers, Nolde adopted Van Gogh’s vibrant handling of colours and paint. In the present work Nolde developed the subject further and placed the sunflower in a more dramatic surrounding.

Nolde was not only fascinated by flowers, but also by landscapes and changing weather. He invests his landscape paintings with an undisguised symbolic significance, exploiting the clouds and sky as metaphors for the awesome power of nature and the eternal confrontation between man in his natural state and the elements (fig. 4). The sunflower in the present work seems to be charged with symbolism, standing for man fighting the forces of nature. Flowers, the wilderness of nature and the fascination with the elements inspired Nolde to explore the theme of flowers in nature or their position within a landscape. It appears to be a recurring theme throughout his career (fig. 5). The metaphorical fight between mankind and the forces of nature has been explored in many works by Nolde, and Sonnenblume represents one of the most poetic and atmospheric paintings from this artistic path. As a keen observer of his surroundings and deeply immersed in nature, Nolde was one of the few painters of his time to translate the force of nature into a powerful painterly expression in such a persuasive way.

The spellbinding atmosphere of the present painting was undoubtedly greatly appealing to the grandfather of the present owner and the work has remained in the same family collection ever since. As one of the most atmospheric and symbolic pictures by Emil Nolde, Sonnenblume ranks among the most important works from the artist’s exploration of nature and flowers.

FIG. 1, Landscape by Seebüll
FIG. 2, Emil Nolde, Grosse Sonnenblumen (I), 1928, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
FIG. 3, Vincent van Gogh, Two Cut Sunflowers, 1887, oil on canvas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
FIG. 4, Emil Nolde, Steigende Wolken, 1927, oil on canvas, Karl-Ernst-Osthaus-Museum, Hagen
FIG. 5, Emil Nolde, Blumen und Wolken, 1933, oil on canvas, Museum Sprengel, Hanover