Emil Nolde

Joachim von Lepel, Neukirchen (in 1958)

Private Collection, Germany

Martin Urban, Emil Nolde, Catalogue raisonné of the Oil Paintings, Volume Two, 1915-1951, London, 1990, no. 1250, illustrated p. 511

Excellent condition. Original canvas. Under ultra-violet light, there is no evidence of retouching. The surface is beautifully fresh and vibrant and the picture is in excellent condition.
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Nolde's exuberant landscape with sunflowers from 1944 perhaps reflects the artist's optimism at this heated moment in Europe's history.  It is one of the few oil paintings that Nolde completed in Germany during the war, as he had been prohibited from painting or exhibiting by the Nazi regime after 1940.  He had devoted his time throughout this harrowing period almost exclusively to producing more than 1300 small ink and watercolor works on paper, which he called his 'unpainted paintings'.  These were easy to conceal, and would leave no tell-tale scent of oil paint, if officials came to check on his compliance.  It would only be towards the end of the war that he dared to take up his paintbrush again, and transform the 'unpainted' into paintings again. 

Nolde's engagement with this particular subject matter also reflects his interest in the work of Van Gogh, particularly in one of his most iconic subjects – the sunflowers (fig. 1).  In Nolde's depictions of sunflowers, he adopted not only Van Gogh's subject but also a vibrant palette of contrasting colors. In the present work he developed the subject further by placing the sunflower in a pastoral setting, achieving a stunning and remarkably emotive composition.