Dance Around the Golden Calf 1910

Emil Nolde slapped this painting together with oils, and I bet he really went for it, attacking the canvas with all that juicy color and motion. I can imagine him lost in the process, feeling the music in his blood as he swirled the paint around, trying to capture the wild abandon of the dance. There’s such a raw energy here – you can almost hear the pounding drums and the ecstatic cries of the crowd. He wasn’t shy with the paint, was he? Thick daubs of yellow and red, clashing with the cool blues and purples. It’s like he’s trying to push the boundaries of what painting can do, throwing caution to the wind and just letting it all hang out. Artists like Nolde are always egging each other on across time, daring us to break the rules and find new ways of seeing the world. That’s the beauty of painting – it’s not about having all the answers, but about asking the right questions and embracing the mess along the way.