German Expressionism / Circa 1930 / Rudolf Moller (1881-1967) / Expressionismus

This gouache by Rudolf Möller uses bright, contrasting colours, with a yellow house and red figures surrounded by dark trees. The shapes are sketched, and the visible brushstrokes create a dramatic lighting effect. The elements are stylised, which reinforces the emotion of the scene, a typical characteristic of Expressionism. The charged atmosphere and marked contrasts are reminiscent of the works of the Die Brücke group. This gouache therefore fits into the Expressionist movement through its distortion of forms and expressive use of colours.

28 X 35 without frame
47.5 x 57.5 with frame

Signed lower right, bears a stamp of the Novembergruppe Rudolf Möller (1881-1967) was an influential German painter of his time. Born on 12 February 1881 in Thuringia, he studied at the Royal School of Art in Berlin under Lovis Corinth from 1905 to 1907. He began his career as an art teacher at a Berlin high school in 1916 and later became a senior teacher of painting and art literature. An active member of the Novembre group, an avant-garde artists' collective, from 1919 to 1931, Möller participated in numerous exhibitions that showcased innovative and often controversial works. During the Nazi regime, his art was classified as "degenerate" (entartete Kunst), a label given to works and artists that did not conform to Nazi aesthetic and ideological standards. As a result, Möller was dismissed from his teaching position in 1943. After World War II, in 1945 he moved to Lörrach, where he continued to live and work until his death in 1967. His works can be seen today in collections such as that of the Kunsthalle Würth in Schwäbisch Hall.