Emil Nolde
Masks, Still Life
1911
oil on canvas
73 x 77,5 cm
'The Broken Ear' seems to
be a spontaneous and expressive painting, however it is made slow and
deliberate. The work is loosely based on a painting by Emil Nolde, a German
Expressionist, who was briefly a member of Die Brücke. Since I can
remember I have been fascinated by expressionism. Especially since I saw
paintings by Heckel, Kirchner and Nolde at a young age.
There are a hundred years
between his 'Masks, Still Life' from 1911 and my painting 'The Broken Ear'. I
very much like his revolutionary painting. I look at it as a hymn of praise to
other until then unknown cultures. A courageous painting of artifacts, masks,
represented with radical gesture in radiant colors, made by an individual,
receptive to the unknown and mysterious. This seems so contradictory with his
ideas and thoughts. A brilliant work but the more I try to learn both
about work and the life of one of the most famous artists ever, the less I
understand.
The title of my painting is
both a nod to Hergé because of his stereotypical characterizations and
questions about his alleged collaboration with Germany, but even more a tribute
to the Arumbaya people.
Bert
Frings, december 2014
Bert Frings (NL)
The Broken Ear
2011
acrylic on canvas
70 x 70 cm