Emil Nolde

Jolanthe Nolde, Heidelberg (the artist's wife; by descent from the artist in 1956)
Thence by descent to the present owners

Kiel, Kunsthalle, Emil Nolde, 1956, no. 56
Heidelberg, Kunstverein, Emil Nolde, Gemälde, Aquarelle, Graphik. Eine Privat-Sammlung, 1958, no. 14, illustrated in the catalogue
Heidelberg, Kurpfälzisches Museum, Gemälde aus dem Besitz von Frau Jolanthe Nolde, 1969-1974, p. 40, illustrated in colour in the catalogue

Artist's Handlist: listed as '1949 Farbenfreude'
Martin Urban, Emil Nolde. Catalogue Raisonné of the Oil Paintings, London, 1990, vol. II, no. 1326, illustrated p. 580

The canvas is not lined and there is no evidence of retouching visible under UV light. There are some fine lines of craquelure in places and a minute paint loss to the lefthand woman's lip and another small paint loss to the left of her nose. Otherwise, this work is in overall good condition.
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Executed with a delightful palette of vibrant blues, reds and yellows, Farbenfreude is a striking example of Nolde's lifelong obsession with colour. In this portrayal of two exotic-looking figures, the dominance of colour over line, characteristic of the majority of Nolde's work, is clearly visible and highlighted in the title of the work. One of the figures depicted leans her head on her companion's shoulder and is blissfully unaware of the spectator's gaze: it is a remarkably intimate depiction of two people perfectly at ease in each other's company.

Although the composition assigns one of the sitters a prime position in the centre foreground, seeming to push the other figure to its edge, there is no conflict and the work is imbued with an overarching sense of balance and harmony.

The identity of Nolde's sitters is of secondary importance, because here colour is the main character. The artist once stated that 'a number of times I have been asked if I really have no interest in people, because I hardly seem to look. "Oh indeed I do", I say, because I actually like to look very much. Maybe just a little differently than usual. The eye should be able to take in an impression in one twelfth of a second, any more time spent is private pleasure' (quoted in Emil Nolde Portraits (exhibition catalogue), Ulmer Museum, Ulm & De Zonnehof, Amersfoort, 2005-06, p. 9).