January 9, 2004
Werefkin and Gauguin
I would like to point out a perceived connection between Marianne Werefkin's work in Murnau and Paul Gauguin's phase in Brittany. The idea occurred to me on a recent visit to the exhibition "Der Blaue Reiter - the liberation of color" in the Wilhelm-Hack-Museum in Ludwigshafen/Germany.
Similarities between the works of the two artists exist on multiple levels. Both artists, after having lived in big cities (Munich/Paris(?)) relocated to rural surroundings for new inspiration. Both concentrated on spiritual, religious themes involving the local population. And both used the techniques of expressive distortions , non-naturalistic color and flattening of the picture plane.
An in-depth study of the link could prove worthwhile.
It is important to note that Gauguin painted his scenes about fifteen years prior to Werefkin and we can safely assume that she was familiar with his oeuvre. (She visited Paris with Jawlensky in 1903, and probably saw Gauguin's and van Gogh's canvases there).
Exhibition information:
http://www.blauer-reiter.de/
11.11.2003-29.02.2004
Works:
Marianne Werefkin, Begraebnis, 1907
Marianne Werefkin, Corpus Christi, 1911
Marianne Werefkin, Die schwarzen Frauen, ca. 1910
Marianne Werefkin, Das Gebet, 1910
Paul Gauguin, Yellow Christ, 1889; http://artchive.com/artchive/G/gauguin/y_christ.jpg.html
Paul Gauguin, "Vision after the Sermon",1888; http://artchive.com/artchive/G/gauguin/gauguin_wrestling.jpg.html
