A Small Steamboat 1910

Emil Nolde made this drawing of a small steamboat with ink on paper. The whole thing seems to have been dashed off in a matter of minutes, if that, and in just one colour, black. Look at the way Nolde flicks his brush to indicate the waves – the ink’s quite watery here. Then there's that heavy splodge at the top, maybe the boat’s smoke? I love that contrast. It's like he’s saying that art can be both considered and spontaneous, loose and tight, all at once. The black ink feels heavy, opaque and physical, like a dark and stormy sky, but somehow, he also makes it feel light and airy. I’m reminded of other German Expressionists like Kirchner, who knew how to load a painting with feeling, even with just a few marks. It's like they're whispering, "Don't take art, or life, too seriously – but feel it deeply."