Impressionismus & Moderne Lot 3201 – 3317 Freitag, 23. Juni 2023, 16.30 Uhr

3240 EMIL NOLDE (Nolde 1867–1956 Seebüll) Sea with sailors boat. 1946. Watercolour on Japan paper. Signed lower right: Nolde. 21.9 × 26 cm. The work is registered in the archives of the Nolde Stiftung Seebüll under no. Fr.A.1430. Provenance: - Private collection, Germany. - Private collection, Europe. - Auction Sotheby's, London, 7.12.1977, lot 121. - Galerie Rosenbach, Hanover, acquired at the above auction. - Private collection, Basel. Nolde's late watercolours of the 1940s are characterised by a remarkable luminosity and intensity achieved through the use of bold colours and contrasting tones. In con- trast to the early watercolour from 1920 (lot 3247), Nolde refrains from using black lines here, instead allowing the colours to flow directly into one another. This effect is further enhanced by the Japan paper, which he used for nearly all his waterco- lours. The motif of a ship on the high seas is a recurring theme for the German artist, especially in his later work. For Nolde the ship is a symbol of travel, adventure, and discovery, but also of danger and instabili- ty. In his watercolours, ships are often me- taphors for human life and its challenges, which can frequently be unpredictable and dangerous. It is, therefore, no surprise that the artist predominantly painted ships in the 1940s, against the backdrop of global wartime events and an uncertain future. At the same time, however, this motif can also have an underlying spiritual signifi- cance, alluding to a search for spiritual fulfilment and the hope for redemption and healing, which goes hand in hand with the overall spirituality of Nolde’s later years. CHF 80 000 / 140 000 (€ 81 630 / 142 860) | 48 Impressionist & Modern Art: A Basel Private Collection