Emil Nolde and Fernand Leger: A Critique

Emil Nolde was a painter that captured my attention in so many ways when I was researching. He has gorgeous expressive arts such as the La Cima della Pala and la Vezzana seen here: http://www.latribunedelart.com/Expositions/Expositions_2008/Nolde_Cima.jpg which kind of reminds me of the part in the Lion King movie where the baby lion is held up for the whole pride to see. This painting puts me in mind of a grandfather who is proud of his granddaughter who is next in line for something and the universe is glad of her coming as well. Notice the little rocks covered with grass on the bank that are smiling their approval. This is fantastical and expressive and beautifully painted.

Nolde has such a fabulous variety of paintings from religious, to fantasy, to political, to average daily life and even landscapes. My favorite of his landscapes are some of his watercolors. These were called his "unpainted pictures" because he was banned from painting when he created them. He had been a Nazi supporter and once found out had many of his paintings removed from museums as a result (Emil Nolde (1867-1956)). Some of these gorgeous paintings are: http://www.original.rolandcollection.com/rolandcollection/images/stills/14-510.gif which is of an ocean wave and clouds in the sky, http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/IMG/PAINTERS/nolde2.jpg which is of a farm town and what appears to be a tornado, and http://panathinaeos.files.wordpress.com/2009/03/sea_red_sun.jpg which is of a sun on fire setting into the ocean. As you can see, his unpainted pieces are still very passionate, and bursting with feelings, colors, exuberance and love.

I chose Fernand Léger's paintings for the opposite reason as I chose Emil Nolde's. I don't like Leger's style of painting nor do I enjoy his artwork. The period in which he paints is cubist, which you can tell from all his different shapes that make up his subjects. For example, Woman with a Cat seen here: http://media.metmuseum.org/mgen/metzoom/zoom3.ms?img=DT1380.jpg&wrapperid=21&outputx=400&outputy=571.8370264474624&level=1&x=0&y=0&backcolor=0x000000 is of a heavy woman reclining in a chair with a book and her cat. The many shapes (mostly cylinder and square) make up the objects and subjects in the painting. Another example of Leger's artwork seen here: http://www.affordableart101.com/images/leger%201929-2.jpg is completely baffling to me. I have no idea what is in the painting or why it is there. If I were to analyze it, I would have to say the large circle in the center with what appears to be an eye reminds me of humpty dumpty and the red squiggly line at the bottom of the image reminds me of what would be his leg. Other than that, I have no real vision when looking at this piece and am at a loss for its purpose. Works Cited

Emil Nolde (1867-1956). 14 September 2009 < http://www.bruecke-museum.de/englnolde.htm >.