Young Couple 1935

Emil Nolde made this painting of a Young Couple, we don’t know when, using watercolor. Watercolor is, for me, the perfect medium for showing how art making can be a process of discovery. Look how the blue seeps into the faces of the figures, contrasting with the yellow and red that seem to push forward. The paint is applied in thin, transparent washes, allowing the white of the paper to shine through and creating a luminous effect. Nolde doesn't hide the brushstrokes. You can almost feel him wrestling with the paint, trying to capture some fleeting expression. I am drawn to the way the colors bleed and merge, creating a sense of movement and fluidity. It reminds me of my own process, where I often let the paint guide me, embracing chance and unexpected results. Nolde’s bold use of color and expressive brushwork reminds me of other artists, like Kirchner and the Die Brücke group. Like them, he wasn't afraid to distort reality in order to convey emotion. And as with their work, there are no fixed or definitive meanings here, only a space for imagination and feeling.