Interrupted by the First World War, in which Ernst Mollenhauer himself had to serve as a soldier, the artist studied at the Königsberg Academy of Art. Born in Tapiau in East Prussia, Mollenhauer was encouraged by the world-famous painter Lovis Corinth, also from Tapiau and a friend of his father.
During his first creative period, Mollenhauer participated in the founding of an artists' association. He met in these years not only other great artist colleagues how Max Pechstein and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, but also his wife. She was the daughter of Hermann Blode, in whose inn numerous artist found a hostel and the artists' colony Nidden was founded. it was to be a place for for artistic exchange, which also produced friendships among colleagues.
The splendor of colors is incomparable, if the eastern sky reflects the fireworks of the western.
Thomas Mann about Nidden
Under the orders of the German Reich, however, they also declared his object as "degenerate" and forbade the artist to paint and exhibit. Most of his artistic work was to survive the war not . So can be found in exhibitions mainly works the artist created after the Second World War.
After Mollenhauer's release from captivity in Denmark and a British camp in Schleswig-Holstein, he built in 1946 in Kaarst near Düsseldorf a new existence on. He moved into a studio in the artist house in Düsseldorf, later a second on Sylt. From just this time comes our on 1957 dated oil painting!
Mollenhauer - Frisian houses on Sylt with garden gate
The coarse brushstroke and the rich colors clearly show the influence of the aforementioned artist colleagues and of Expressionism. Sylt seems to have been a place for the artist where he found peace after long years of war to sit down in front of the houses and to transfer what he saw himself on the canvas.
A dark colored sky, below him are some houses with thatched roofs, typical for the Sylt dikes. The place of the artist, how also that of the viewer is located directly in front of the wall, whose white gate is closed and separates the gardens from the street. In harmonious areas of color, the painter's subject comes together. A place of tranquility is created. Absolutely understandable, that the artist must have felt at home here have to be able to work on Sylt and in Düsseldorf until the end of life.
From Düsseldorf it not is far to the Cologne gallery Boisseréewhich offers an excellent provenance. Especially since our painting was consigned from an impressive private collection in North Rhine-Westphalia in our house and now in our Auction "Modern & Contemporary Art" is called for auction!
