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Lot Essay
Achim Moeller confirmed the authenticity of this work. The work will be registered in the archives of the Lyonel Feininger Project with the no. 1181-12-13-12.
This work will be included in volume I of the catalogue raisonné of Paintings by Lyonel Feininger, being prepared by Achim Moeller.
'Sometimes I hate and despise 'nature'! I like my pictures so much better!' (Lyonel Feininger, 'Letter to Julia' Sept., 13, 1910, Neppermin, quoted in Hans Hess, Lyonel Feininger, London, 1959, p. 50)
Mondaufgang in Neppermin (Moonrise in Neppermin) is a rare oil painting depicting the small town of Neppermin on the Baltic coast where Lyonel Feininger spent the summer of 1910. It was during this sojourn that Feininger made the important decision to no longer paint directly from nature in the open air, but rather, to paint visions and memories of nature 'out of his own head'. This was a vital decision for the artist and one that was to play a determining role in the future development of his work.
Disappointed with the numerous nature studies he had tried to make in pencil while staying in Neppermin, Feininger resolved to attempt to capture his vision of life by producing painted oils from memory when he returned to his Berlin-Zehlendorf studio. 'I .., am only happy' , he wrote, 'that I can at least paint better 'out of my head'!... I shall paint the pictures I see here in the landscape from Notizen and memory, when I get back to Zehlendorf - and they will be goodI shall go walking and make many notes.' (Lyonel Feininger, 'Letter to Julia,' Sept 19, 1910, Neppermin, quoted in Hans Hess, Lyonel Feininger, London, 1959, p. 50)
Depicting a row of houses winding down to the sea in the moonlight, Mondaufgang in Neppermin is comprised of a mixture of the distorted caricature-like forms of Feininger's 'City at the Edge of the World' style of painting and the naturalistic appearance of the houses of Neppermin. Constructed from simple planes of rich colour, it is an elegant fusion of naturalism and individualistic abstracted style.
This work will be included in volume I of the catalogue raisonné of Paintings by Lyonel Feininger, being prepared by Achim Moeller.
'Sometimes I hate and despise 'nature'! I like my pictures so much better!' (Lyonel Feininger, 'Letter to Julia' Sept., 13, 1910, Neppermin, quoted in Hans Hess, Lyonel Feininger, London, 1959, p. 50)
Mondaufgang in Neppermin (Moonrise in Neppermin) is a rare oil painting depicting the small town of Neppermin on the Baltic coast where Lyonel Feininger spent the summer of 1910. It was during this sojourn that Feininger made the important decision to no longer paint directly from nature in the open air, but rather, to paint visions and memories of nature 'out of his own head'. This was a vital decision for the artist and one that was to play a determining role in the future development of his work.
Disappointed with the numerous nature studies he had tried to make in pencil while staying in Neppermin, Feininger resolved to attempt to capture his vision of life by producing painted oils from memory when he returned to his Berlin-Zehlendorf studio. 'I .., am only happy' , he wrote, 'that I can at least paint better 'out of my head'!... I shall paint the pictures I see here in the landscape from Notizen and memory, when I get back to Zehlendorf - and they will be goodI shall go walking and make many notes.' (Lyonel Feininger, 'Letter to Julia,' Sept 19, 1910, Neppermin, quoted in Hans Hess, Lyonel Feininger, London, 1959, p. 50)
Depicting a row of houses winding down to the sea in the moonlight, Mondaufgang in Neppermin is comprised of a mixture of the distorted caricature-like forms of Feininger's 'City at the Edge of the World' style of painting and the naturalistic appearance of the houses of Neppermin. Constructed from simple planes of rich colour, it is an elegant fusion of naturalism and individualistic abstracted style.