Untitled [flowers]

In 1902, Christian Rohlfs saw a retrospective exhibition of the works of the Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Then in the winter of 1905–06, Rohlfs met Emil Nolde and became aware of The Bridge (Die Brücke) group of German Expressionists. Van Gogh’s paintings opened up the way to freer forms with color applied in a more spontaneous way, while the art of Bridge members encouraged Rohlfs to paint with greater emotional force.   

While widely celebrated in post-war Weimar Germany it was, ironically, this period of Rohlfs’ work that was subsequently persecuted by Nazi authorities. In 1937 he was banned from exhibiting in Germany and had over four hundred works purged from the country’s public collections as “degenerate.”

This work offers a classic example of Rohlfs painting at the height of his powers. Though based on recognizable floral motifs, color is the dominant element, in which gradations of hues form simplified shapes as if seen through a transparent veil.