Koller View 4/18

5 Preview of the Impressionist & Modern Art Auction on 7 December 2018 
 Life choices in the time of ostracism The post-1933 landscapes of Otto Dix (1891–1969) were made during the period of “inner emigration” af- ter the Nazi accession to power in Germany. Dix, who was one of the first art professors to be dismissed from the Kunstakademie in Dresden, witnessed the systematic removal of 260 of his artworks from Ger- man museums and their subsequent inclusion in the infamous “Degenerate Art” propaganda exhibit in Mu- nich in 1937. The artist, who considered himself to be one of the founders of the Neue Sachlichkeit (“New Objectivity”) movement, and whose work during the years of the Weimar Republic was marked by scenes bitingly critical of society, withdrew to Randegg castle in southern Germany. There, in view of political con- ditions, he devoted himself above all to landscape painting. “I was banned to the countryside. […] I fled into the countryside, and painted and painted.” he noted. “Wintertag in Randegg”, 1933 (ill. 2.), to be offered in the 7 December auction, is an excellent example of this phase of Dix’s work. Painted in a glazed mixed media technique, Dix employs the savoir faire of the Old Masters to depict the atmosphere of the south- ern German countryside near the Lake of Constance and the Upper Rhine. He drew inspiration from the Danube School painters, from Romantics such as Caspar David Friedrich, as well as from the painterly technique of Pieter Brueghel the Elder. At the same time, the choice of these peaceful motifs speaks to his forced withdrawal from big-city life and a society that had suddenly so fundamentally changed. Dix’s contemporary and fellow countryman Emil Nolde – actually Hans Emil Hansen (1867–1956), who in 1902 adopted the name of his Northern Schleswig (and from 1920 Danish) birthplace – is considered to be one of the greatest watercolour artists of the 20th century. In 1937, this important Expressionist was surprised and dismayed by the defamation of his works by the Nazis. Portraits not only hold a major place within the body of Nolde’s work, they are also a fascinating reflection of the artist’s profound interest in the human spirit. Nolde was not a portraitist in the classic sense, but 2 3 rather sought to render a psychological image. His subjects were often friends and close family mem- bers. An example of this is “Doppelbild (Sie seltsames Licht)”, 1918 (ill. 1.), to be offered on 7 December. The characteristics of the individuals depicted led him towards a free, universally valid representation in strong colours and distinctive forms. “Duality held an important place in my paintings and graphic works. Together or in conflict, man and woman, delight and sorrow, deity and devil. The colours were also set in contrast: cold and warm, light and dark, weak and strong,” wrote the artist in 1948. 4 © 2018, ProLitteris, Zürich © Succession Picasso / 2018, ProLitteris, Zurich ©Christian Schad S tiftung Aschaffenburg / 2018, ProLitteris, Zurich