Sale: 392 / Modern Art, June 09. 2012 in Munich Lot 12

 
Christian Rohlfs - Erlinger See


12
Christian Rohlfs
Erlinger See, 1911.
Oil
Estimate:
€ 50,000 / $ 54,000
Sold:
€ 54,900 / $ 59,292

(incl. surcharge)
Erlinger See. 1911.
Oil on cardboard, laid on hard fibre board.
Not in Vogt. Monogrammed and dated lower right. 49,5 x 73,5 cm (19,4 x 28,9 in).

Accompanied by a photo expertise issued by Prof. Dr. Paul Vogt, Essen, dated 30 January, 2005 (in copy).

PROVENANCE: Private collection Northern Germany.

Christian Rohlfs was born in Niendorf in Holstein on 22 December 1849. During a two-year sickbed confinement from 1864-1866 Rohlfs was nursed by a doctor called Stolle, who discovered and supported the painting talent of the boy. At this time, the first drawings came into being. Upon Theodor Storm's suggestion and recommendation, Rohlfs went to Berlin and began his studies of painting at the Großherzogliche Kunstakademie in Weimar in 1870. A leg condition aggravated so badly during the following years that one of his legs was amputated in 1873. His works found approval by the Großherzog von Sachsen-Weimar [Grand Duke of Saxonia-Weimar], who supported him for many years. From 1888 on, an independent stylistic development in parallel to the school of Barbizon and to French Impressionism can be recognised. Through Henry van de Velde Rohlfs got acquainted with the founder of the Folkwang Museum, Karl Ernst Osthaus in Hagen/ Westphalia. In 1901 Rohlfs moved there to run a painting school according to plans by Osthaus - which failed, however. During a summer stay in Soest in 1905, he got acquainted with Emil Nolde. Rohlfs' own tendency of expressive composition corresponded to the beginning Expressionism of the 'Brücke', to which early exhibitions at the Folkwang-museum attended. After his years of study at the academy, Rohlfs' work was formed for twenty years by Impressionism, but at the age of sixty, he found a late expressionistic style. Favoring tempera on canvas and paper, he also created watercolors and prints.

The reed on the shores of a lake in Upper Bavaria inspired Christian Rohlfs to make two paintings, that, in their expression, show the artist’s particular favor for unusual motifs. In a density of strokes of the brush and spatula work, the observed is united in a composition showing an unmatched trueness to nature, however, its overall impression is almost striding to abstraction. Having abandoned his early Naturalism, Christian Rohlfs had already attained his very own expression at the turn of the century, which, based on Late-Iimpressionism and an abandoned Pointillism, eventually led to his very own style. This work is a clear example thereof and accordingly described by the author of the catalog raisonné Dr.Paul Vogt in his expertise as a "Version of highest quality“.

Several honors prove the approval of his later works. In 1929 the Christian Rohlfs Museum in Hagen was founded for the artist's 80th birthday. After the Nazis seized power Rohlfs was expelled from the Preußische Kunstakademie der Künste in 1937 and 412 of his paintings were rated 'degenerate' and were removed from German museums. One year later, on 8 January 1938 Christian Rohlfs died in his studio in Hagen. He was remembered as one of the most important representatives of German Expressionism in art history. [KD].




12
Christian Rohlfs
Erlinger See, 1911.
Oil
Estimate:
€ 50,000 / $ 54,000
Sold:
€ 54,900 / $ 59,292

(incl. surcharge)