Emil Nolde

Private Collection, Austria (probably acquired directly from the artist)
Thence by descent to the present owner in 2012

Executed on Japan paper, not laid down and t-hinged to the mount at the upper corners, floating in the overmount. The upper, lower and left edges are slightly unevenly cut and the right edge is deckled. There are artist's pinholes to the upper corners, two to the centre of the upper edge, three to the lower left corner, and three to the lower right corner. There are a few minor creases in places, possibly related to the application of medium, and two fine dents to the sheet, towards the centre of the lower edge but not affecting the medium. This work is in overall good condition.
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Dominated by a powerfully expressive sky illuminated by the last rays of the setting sun, the evocatively titled Friesenhof, Heimat reveals Emil Nolde’s extraordinary mastery of technique and astonishing manipulation of colour tones. The deep blue of the heavy clouds contrasts to dramatic effect with the burst of vivid yellow light which streaks across the sky: only the presence of the small house, rooted under the drama, prevents the work from dissolving into complete abstraction. Nolde’s use of colour within his work was governed in part by the artist’s ability to conflate the senses, with specific colours becoming indicative of particular moods or sounds. The artist wrote eloquently of how certain colours become infused with supplementary layers of meaning within his work: 'I loved the music of colours... yellow can depict happiness and also pain. Red can mean fire, blood or roses, blue can mean silver, the sky or a storm, each colour has a soul of its own' (quoted in Martin Urban, Emil Nolde Landscapes, New York, 1969, p. 16).

By 1931, when Friesenhof, Heimat was executed, Nolde was spending increasing amounts of time in Seebüll, where he and his wife had bought a house in 1927. The presence of the word ‘Heimat’ within the title serves to endow the present work with a significant additional layer of symbolism. Translating approximately to mean ‘home’ or ‘homeland,’ ‘Heimat’ is also a specifically Germanic philosophical ideal that further signifies the almost indefinable concept of belonging to a particular place or people. The presence of the house within Friesenhof, Heimat correspondingly imbues the scene with connotations that are both poignant yet also positive: indicative of a traveller yearning for the safety of his native land who is gladdened by the welcoming sight of his own home standing as a beacon on the horizon. Friesenhof, Heimat can thus be read as a powerful representation of Nolde’s love for Germany, his native land.