Nolde was a German-Danish painter and printmaker, who joined the Die Brücke group of Expressionist artists in 1906. He taught etching to his fellow members and they introduced him to woodcuts. In Prophet, Nolde exploits the characteristics inherent to the medium. Coarsely gouged-out areas, simplified forms and the textured grain of the wood effectively combine to portray the solemn face of a believer. Nolde was influenced by primitive art. This was considered to represent a ‘pure’ and autonomous form of art, the antithesis of the corruption associated with Western bourgeois society.
Inscriptions / Translations: Inscriptions, sale stamps & c: signed in pencil, l. r., outside image line: Emil Nolde; inscr. in pencil, l. c., outside image line: Prophet.
Notes: Exhibited: 'Barber Goes North: Treasures from the Barber Institute', Abbot Hall Art Gallery, Kendal, UK, 15 October 2010 - 15 December 2010; 'Age of Expressionism', Slade School of Art, London, UK, 08 February 2011 - 25 March 2011
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