Lot number 2442 - Auction 160
HELGOLAND, 1897

CARLOS CONRAD GRETHE 1864 Montevideo, Uruguay - 1913 Nieuwpoort, Belgium HELGOLAND, 1897 Gouache on paper. 23.5 x 33.5 cm. Monogrammed and inscribed with location, lower right. Framed behind glass. This work was created in the summer of 1897, when the artist traveled from Duhnen to Heligoland to study the coastal landscapes there. During this period, Grethe finally established his role as the "painter of the restless, turbulent sea," shifting from his early genre scenes to powerful maritime studies. It was here that he began to refine his characteristic "marine style," which would later lead to the creation of his large-scale ship and harbor paintings in the Port of Hamburg. The work reflects that decisive moment when Grethe discovered the dynamics of the elements and the interplay of light and water as the central themes of his oeuvre. Literature: Ingrun Stocke, Carlos Grethe - Der Maler des Meeres. Vom Realismus zum Impressionismus. Illustrated on page 253. Weimar, 2008. (Cf. Stocke, Ingrun: Vom Realismus zum Impressionismus. Weimar, 2009). Provenance: Private Collection, Düsseldorf.