Sunflowers 1936

These Sunflowers by Emil Nolde, are thick with oil paint, built up in layers and swirls. I can imagine Nolde, brush in hand, circling the canvas, trying to capture the essence of these blooms, each petal a deliberate stroke, each daub a burst of color. There is a dance between control and chaos, a struggle to wrangle the unruly nature of paint into something coherent. Nolde must have been thinking about Van Gogh, of course, but also pushing further into Fauvist territory, with that clashing palette. Look how the yellows and reds jostle against the deep greens and browns, creating a kind of visual friction. I love the one sunflower, right there at the front, blazing bright and bold, dominating the whole painting. It’s as if Nolde is saying, “Here I am, this is me, raw and unfiltered.” I think he knew the feeling.