Theodor Scheerbaum, The Trees Of The Baltic Sea / - The Sensuality Of The Baltic Sea -

Theodor Scheerbaum (1897 Reichenbach im Vogtland), Wind Dodgers at the Baltic Sea. Watercolor on strong yellowish grained paper, 44 x 56 cm, signed by hand "Th[eodor] Scheerbaum" at lower left and dated by hand "1955". Provenance note on verso. Included is the original mounting board with the handwritten title of the painting.

- in good condition

 

- The Sensuousness of the Baltic Sea -


The large watercolor depicts a view of the Baltic Sea. From the top of a dune we look at the slightly churned sea, with foaming waves breaking on the shore. The view is framed by wind-shaped pines, the eponymous wind dodgners. The trees, however, are far more present than just framing the view; they have moved so far into the picture that they become a main motif. With virtuoso brushwork, Scheerbaum has rendered the trees in their characteristic appearance. We see the reddish-brown trunks, the branches with their filigree twigs shaped by the constant wind as they grow, and, most impressively, the needles moving in the wind. We can hear the wind whispering in the trees, accompanied by the rhythmic sound of the breaking waves and the cries of the seagulls circling above. Even how the wind passes through the grasses of the dunes becomes tangible, while in the sky the spectacle of the clouds takes place.
The color impressions also take us to the Baltic Sea: The reddish-brown and dark green of the pines, combined with the paler green and brown of the grasses, are as characteristic as the blue-green shimmer of the sea, which harmonizes in color with the sky and the sand. To enhance the impression of the sand, the artist chose a yellowish paper, the basic tone of which characterizes the entire scene.
Theodor Scheerbaum has captured the seascape in all its sensuousness, creating a pictorial epitome of the Baltic Sea. Directly in front of us, almost blown traces in the sand invite us to enter this iconic Baltic Sea landscape.