Large Poppies 1942

Emil Nolde created these 'Large Poppies' with thick oil paint applied with real bravura. Imagine him wrestling with that surface, pushing those reds around until they practically vibrate. There's something so raw about the application, the way he fearlessly lays down color, not fussing with details but grabbing the essence of each bloom. I can almost see Nolde outside, squinting in the sunlight, trying to keep up with the wind, the smell, the fleeting light. The whole thing is kind of a mess of desire. And that dark smudge at the centre of each flower—it's like a vortex, pulling you into the painting, into Nolde's head. It reminds me of the Fauves, but with a northern, heavier mood. Painters are always looking at each other, stealing and borrowing. It's a reminder that art is not just about beauty but about feeling, and the messy, uncertain process of trying to capture it.