Christian Rohlfs: Couple, c. 1910 / German Postmodernism Expressionism S/Oil

Description: Christian Rohlfs1849, Groß Niendorf, Schleswig-Holstein (Prussia) - 1938, Hagen, Westfalia, GermanyA CoupleOriginal Hand-Signed Oil on Canvas -circa 1910sArtist Name: Christian Rohlfs Title: A couple Signature Description: Hand-signed with initials "CR" lower right Technique: Oil on canvas Size: 60 x 40 cm / 23.62" x 15.75" inch Frame: The painting is framed Condition: Good condition, stable, complete condition with no tears, rips, holes, repairs, wear, paint peelings or losses, a few light hairline cracks and some slight rubbing consistent with the age and use. Artist's Biography: Christian Rohlfs (November 22, 1849 - January 8, 1938) was a German painter and printmaker, one of the important representatives of German Expressionism. Life He was born in Groß Niendorf, Kreis Segeberg in Prussia. He took up painting as a teenager while convalescing from an infection that was eventually to lead to the amputation of a leg in 1874. He began his formal artistic education in Berlin, before transferring, in 1870, to the Weimar Academy. Initially he painted large-scale landscapes, working through a variety of academic, naturalist, Impressionist, and Post-Impressionist styles. In 1901 left Weimar for Hagen, where the collector Karl Ernst Osthaus had offered him a studio in the modern art museum he was setting up there. Meetings with Edvard Munch and Emil Nolde and the experience of seeing the works of Vincent van Gogh inspired him to move towards the expressionist style, in which he would work for the rest of his career. In 1908, at the age of 60, he made his first prints after seeing an exhibition of works by the expressionist group Die Brücke. He went on to make 185 in total, almost all woodcuts or linocuts. In rare instances he experimented with heavily hand-coloring his prints, onto the verge of painting and sometimes well after they were made, as in his 1919 recoloring of the prior year's Der Gefangene. He lived in Munich and the Tyrol in 1910-12, before returning to Hagen. In 1929 the town of Hagen opened a Christian Rohlfs Museum. In 1937 the Nazis expelled him from the Prussian Academy of Arts, condemned his work as degenerate, and removed his works from public collections. He died in Hagen, Westfalia, on January 8, 1938. Christian Rohlfs, (1849, Niendorf, Germany - 1938, Hagen), German painter and printmaker who worked in an Expressionist style.Rohlfs studied art in the 1870s in Weimar, Germany, where he was schooled in a naturalistic figure painting tradition. Until about age 50, Rohlfs painted large landscapes in the style of academic realism. During the 1880s, colour became an increasingly important element in his work. Working independently, he developed a freely colourful style similar to that of French Impressionism.The turning point of Rohlfs’s career came with his discovery of Post-Impressionism about 1900. The paintings of Vincent van Gogh in particular profoundly influenced him. Inspired by van Gogh’s bold colours and vigorous brushwork, Rohlfs developed a new, more personal and sensitive style, an early example of which can be seen in St. Patroclus in Soest (1905–06). About this time, Rohlfs painted with his friend Emil Nolde, who was associated with a group of young Expressionist artists known as Die Brücke (“The Bridge”). Although Rohlfs never became a member of the group, he was influenced by the Brücke painters’ spontaneous, emotional approach. After seeing an exhibition of prints by these artists in 1907, Rohlfs became a prolific printmaker, creating boldly designed works such as the woodcut Death and Child (1912–13). In 1937 the Nazis declared his work “degenerate” and forbade him to exhibit. Additional Information: 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, Christian 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. Favouring tempera on canvas and paper, he also created watercolours and prints. Several honours 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. Payment Methods: PayPal, Credit Card (Visa, Mastercard), Bank Cheque. If you wish to send a personal cheque, please note that the item will not be shipped until the cheque clears. Shipping&Handling: All items are sent through registered mail or by EMS - Fast delivery service, both operated by the Israel Post (up to 4-5 business days), depends on the weight and measures of the purchased item. You may add insurance for the item with an additional fee. Please e-mail us for other shipping methods. In case that the frame includes a glass, the item will be shipped without the glass in order to prevent any damage to the artwork caused by broken glass: be aware that such kind of a damage is not covered by the insurance! Terms of Auction: All sales are final, please only bid if you intend to pay. Refunds will be accepted only if the item is not as described in the auction. ISRAELI BUYERS MUST ADD 17% V.A.T. TO THE FINAL PRICE. Artshik provides full assurance that all items sold are exactly as described! We guarantee all items we sell are 100% authentic!

Price: 19000 USD

Location: Tel Aviv

End Time: 2025-01-24T23:25:59.000Z

Shipping Cost: 140 USD