KARL SCHMIDT-ROTTLUFF | Stillleben mit Krug (Still Life with Jug)

Galerie Ferdinand Möller, Berlin
Private Collection, Berlin
Private Collection, Switzerland
Sale: Grisebach, Berlin, 24th November 2011, lot 23a
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Will Grohmann, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, Stuttgart, 1956, n.n., illustrated p. 211

The canvas is not lined. Examination under UV light reveals a few minor scattered spots of retouching to the extreme edges which possibly correspond to frame abrasion. There is evidence of surface dirt build up in the upper right corner which may benefit from a light clean. This work appears to be in overall good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

One of the four founding members of the Brücke group, in his early career Schmidt-Rottluff was strongly influenced by French Fauve artists such as Matisse, Derain and Vlaminck.  Whilst in the present work the Fauve elements are still visible in the bright, contrasting coloring and thick, expressive brushstrokes, it exemplifies the artist's move away from post-Impressionist and Fauve influences, and his development of a unique visual vocabulary that characterized the mature period of his art.

In their experimentation with colour the Brücke artists were keeping pace with prevailing currents of European modernism and particularly the painting of the Post and Neo-Impressionists. ‘Van Gogh held a particular appeal for this new generation of German artists, as the Expressionist writer Ernst Blass recalled: ‘Van Gogh stood for expression and experience as opposed to Impressionism and Naturalism. Flaming concentration, youthful sincerity, immediacy, depth; exhibition and hallucination… The courage of one’s own means of expression’ (E. Blass, quoted in Expressionism in Germany and France (exhibition catalogue), Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Los Angeles & The Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, Montreal, 2014, p. 48). Schmidt Rottluff interest in the still life subject is further illustration of the influence of Van Gogh on his work. He employs a radical composition in which subvert conventional perspective with the still life object seeming to extend of the picture plain towards the viewer, in this respect the present work represents the innovative and experimental approach that characterised his life.