Colored chalk drawing on brown cardboard
Weimar, Germany, 1899
Christian Rohlfs (1849-1938) – important German Expressionist painter and graphic artist
Monogrammed ‘CR’ and dated ‘99’ lower right
With an expertise by Prof. Dr. Paul Vogt, Essen from 26.02.2001
Registered under the supplementary inventory number ‘CR 273/ 01’ by the Estate of Christian Rohlfs Framed under mat
Sheet size: 23.3 x 29.4 cm
Very good condition
Provenance: former collection of Dr. Brands; Paffrath Gallery, Dusseldorf; Private Collection Southern Germany (in the family since the late 1960s)

This early drawing by Christian Rohlfs (1849-1938) depicts a townscape sketched with loose lines. The view presumably shows Ehringsdorf by Weimar, a subject which the artist has rendered several times during this period. The silhouette of the city colored in gray shades of blue extends in the background, behind a plain, dominated by a gnarled old tree in the left. Little colored lines set dynamic accentuations. The characteristic strokes and as well as the color palette already anticipate the late artist’s watercolors.

Around 1899 Rohlfs preferably painted in chalk, a technique that allowed him to work quickly and spontaneously, capturing impressions instantly with expressive gestures. Reassured by the art of the French Impressionists, whose exhibitions Rohlfs visited in Weimar, he became one of the leading exponents of plein air painting in Germany.



The work is registered under the supplementary inventory number ‘CR 273/ 01’ by the Estate of Christian Rohlfs.



The sheet is fresh. There is a weak stain centered on the lower margin which does not affect the overall very good impression of this drawing. Verso along the sheet edges with narrow remains of mounting. The work is monogrammed ‘CR’ and dated ‘99’ lower right. The sheet measures 23.3 x 29.4 cm.



Christian Rohlfs (1849-1938)

The German painter Christian Rohlfs studied under Paul Thumann at the Art School Weimar. In 1901, he accepted a teaching position at the Folkwang School in Weimar. After the ‘degenerate art’ exhibition in Munich in 1937, hundreds of his works were confiscated and shortly before his death, Rohlfs was banned from painting and was excluded from the Prussian Academy of Arts in Berlin. His expressive oeuvre shows primarily naturalistic works in the early years at Weimar, and later developed impressionist and finally distinctive expressionist qualities. In his time in Ascona (since 1927) Rohlfs consistently refined his typical technique of the water tempera especially in his flower paintings.

Shipping costs excl. statutory VAT and plus 2,5% (+VAT) shipping insurance.