Беседа 1910

Emil Nolde made this watercolor painting, titled "Beseda" – or "Conversation" – at some point in his long career in Germany. Nolde was an interesting and controversial figure. On the one hand, his engagement with the Expressionist group Die Brücke, along with his use of vibrant and clashing colors, places him in the artistic avant-garde of early 20th century Germany. But Nolde was also a fierce nationalist and joined the Nazi party, a fact that has complicated the reception of his art ever since. "Beseda" shows two figures engaged in conversation; their faces are turned to each other, but their expressions are difficult to read. Nolde's choice of colors – the woman's face is tinged with blue and the man's hands are yellow – creates an unsettling effect. As art historians, we have to consider how Nolde's personal politics might have impacted the meaning of his art, and vice versa. What was the conversation really about? Was he aware that the colors he chose may have carried hidden meanings? These are the types of questions that we might ask when researching the social and cultural history of art.