Daniel Richter Interview: On Emil Nolde

Emil Nolde was a Nazi - and so what, asks contemporary German artist Daniel Richter. "It's a moralistic debate. A debate, that mirrors the moralism and bigottery of a generation that seems to think, that the world is a moral playground."
Emil Nolde's relationship to the Nazi-regime in the Third Reich has given rise to immense discussions within the last months. For decades the broader public had a picture of Nolde being one of the "entartete" artists as well as being prohibited painting by the Nazi-regime. Though this on the surface is true, it was the result of a great disappointment to Nolde. For years, he had strived to become "the" artist of the Thrid Reich, praising his own art as true, German, anti-French and anti-Jewish. Possible competitors within the German art world like Max Pechstein he actively denounced to the Nazi authorities.
For Daniel Richter, who growing up in the Northern part of Germany was surrounded by Noldes paintings since early childhood, not much new has happened though. "Already the frist president of the Berlin art academy after the Second World War called Nolde for Nazi-Emil. He despised him." In other words: Everybody, who wanted to know that Nolde was a Nazi, could have known it for many decades. It was a public secret, so to speak.
In this interview Daniel Richter reflects upon the reasons for the actual debate. "Nolde became a symbol for the Germans in general. Like them he went along, he was opportunistic, he aimed high and fell deep. Like the man on the street, he felt betrayed - by Hitler and the Nazi-ideology. In many ways, Nolde is the blueprint of the collective German mind after the war."
But does Nolde's betrayal have to influence our perspective on his art? Richter argues: "Is it necessary for us to know, who the artist was? Today everybody is judged by his private dealings - politicians, public persons, artists. I think that's wrong. Knowing the biography or the moral, social or political behaviour of a person may sharpen one's look on a work. But in my eyes, it should never deminish the work. The work should be judged on it's own and only in relation to other paintings."
And therefore Noldes work is still relevant today, Richter says. "Like most artists, Nolde had a contradictory personality. It was like a red line through his life. Many artists have wrong ideas, but come to interesting results.
Art does not have an expiry date - that's a wrong understanding of art. If the paintings confuse me or irritate me or offer something, that I have not seen before, they are contemporary paintings. And that answers the question. Everything we consume today, everything we can use for something, is contemporary art."
Daniel Richter (b.1962) is one of the leading painters on the German contemporary art-scene. Between 1991 and 1995 he attended the Hochschule für bildende Künste in Hamburg. From 2004-2006 he served as Professor for Painting at the Universität der Künste in Berlin. Since 2006, he has been teaching at Akademie der bildenden Künste in Vienna. His works are besides others represented in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris and the Boros Collection in Berlin.
Daniel Richter was interviewed by Marc-Christoph Wagner at the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.
Camera: Jakob Solbakken
Edit: Kamilla Bruus
Produced by: Marc-Christoph Wagner
Copyright: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, 2014
Supported by: Nordea Fonden

[@roman2011]

Love how the camera zoom in to show the brush work. Excellent directing/editing. Great music and pacing too. Overall, a pleasure to watch. Oh yeah - the guy talking and the artist is really good too.

[@mmbmbmbmb]

Great 'Interview'. Makes me want to hear more of Daniel Richter.

[@dzl999]

A great presentation by Daniel Richter giving an intelligent and informative analysis of the life and work of Nolde, who was clearly a vastly underrated artist.

[@grithgough2990]

Thank you Louisiana for interviewing Daniel Richter. Interesting to hear his views on Nolde's work and the role or non-role of nazism. Makes me curious to find out more about Richter's own work.

[@MontyCantsin5]

Very informative insight into Nolde and the history of 20th century painting more generally. I particularly like Richter's observation that, 'Everything that you consume nowadays...is a contemporary piece of art when you can use it for your brain...' What period or movement a certain work is from is ultimately irrelevant if it's influencing one's consciousness in the present.

[@ghostiebostie]

Whats the song played through out the video?? The piano

[@theomatoff1813]

It seems to be a fairly accurate and dispassionate evaluation of Nolde's work. So this is the second Richter in my recent experience who has caused me to question my assessment of painting representing the people and environment of my time. T.Matoff

[@mildred1217]

anyone know the music in the background?

[@margaretsheffield476]

I love emil Nolde, his application of paint, his unique palette his drawing style, Perhaps my favorite are his landscapes

[@johannabeasley2031]

Thank you I really enjoyed your opinion and discourse on his work.Art goes beyond politics .Poltics may change and the creative spirit comes from the artist no matter what they believe politically.His work is what we see not his politics.I always liked his work and knew nothing of his politics.It has not changed my view.

[@magnuskallas]

Some years later I have wondered about this. Thank you all for pushing this opinion... The statement that there lacked proper clean cut normal conservative painters... It resonates. Nowadays it sells if one is crazy looney-toon woke left, looking like someone dipped in the paint-pot... Or you get goofy recognition from underground far-right. Yeah, there's the conservative portrait, which will always remain, but let's be frank - art scene, art schools etc. are so far left tilted at the moment it hurts the eyes... It's a mish-mash of politics and often just political cartoons. Oh, and pride my arse.

[@c.e.schlink9933]

Nolde was labeled a "Degenerate" artist. I love Emil Nolde's paintings. This was such an insightful analysis of Emil Nolde and being an artist during his time. One of the most honest, objective, and best I've ever heard.

[@carabosse4]

national sozialist 1934 !!!

[@c.e.schlink9933]

@@carabosse4 what?

[@constantlylearnandgrow3487]

Very good and informative interview, thank you!

[@gerryarty8342]

Such a good talk compared to the other so called academic experts who paid for thier opions? , e.g, the Scotish exhibition..

[@ninaculjak9732]

I like how he become so excited at the end, great interview! Thank you, it was interesting.

[@mazyar_]

Excellent Interview. There are resonant parallels between Emil Nolde and another German peasant visionary, Martin Heidegger.

[@Nigelzenig]

Interesting comparison. Even more difficult to separate man from work in case of Heidegger because however obscurely his philosophy is explicitly didactic. But if understanding being is compatible with nazi ideology at all, that is very uncomfortable.

[@AkakaDomenjer]

This is the best explanation of Nolde. Thank you Richter!

[@mjjames2442]

Too much close camera cropping. Just show the work.

[@priscillakhapai3623]

The bg music is fantastic...

[@tubeberk08]

this is just really awesome, thanks

[@kbee5764]

That was so good. I'd love to go around a few galleries with him. I could listen to him all day.

[@azharlatif6228]

Mr. Daniel Richter expounding Emile Noelde , his Art, style, timeline of this Nazi ideologue is rare learning experience. It is rewarding to follow Mr. Richter map length and breadth of German Art history as of now.

[@pipioloes1908]

thanks godness interview and comentaries are not full of easy political critics but a wider view of the historical context

[@alvaroguillenbastante9767]

Such a great, deep and complex interview!

[@anastassiyakim7041]

That s a very interesting talk about Nolde. I knew his art was "degenerative", but have not realized he was ideologically Nazi himself. Of course, as Daniel says that does not make his work worse or better, but it is interesting to know this fact. Thanks for nice representation

[@pjc1954]

Very interesting take on a great painter.

[@cohencohen54]

There is no concrete proof that Nolde was ideologically a Nazi. He was an opportunist and thought the Nazis will promote his career. He was wrong about that and he paid for it dearly.

[@rajnishsasmal]

You are right

[@ThaX14]

There is. The Hamburger Bahnhof in Berlin had an exhibition specifically about this topic. Nolde was heavily influenced and alligned himself with the esoteric fascist idea of the aryan übermensch and the supremacy of German culture and its history. He was always ideologically alligned with the Nazi's, even though they couldn't stand him and his work. I don't know if he was a commited racist and antisemite, but he was working hard for Hitler's recognition not only on opportunistic grounds.

[@hughjames8339]

I love his paintings, didn’t know his background .

[@niallmacceide4603]

Brilliant talk by Daniel

[@jan-martinulvag1953]

When you understand you have no need to be understood

[@RobCoghanable]

Nolde was a great painter well placed by the speaker . Unfortunate choices don’t match the quality of the work.

[@ninaciel3735]

Otra vez????No voy a pintar mas....ni nada

[@artecht2202]

Interessantes Video-danke !

[@HughJason]

Thank you.

[@lalewilan]

Super interesting.

[@lechzaremba8331]

Świetne..,ile tu dynamiki i ekspresji...

[@arkadiuszhenszel7290]

Witaj Leszku. Obejrzałem do końca. Specjalnie nie znam się na malarstwie, ale niektóre obrazy podobały mi się. Poza tym podoba mi się kolorystyka. Jest tam jeden obraz z kwiatami, który chciałbym mieć w domu. Pozdrawiam Cię. Trzymaj się.

[@elizabethhurtado2829]

👍

[@michael4250]

Why do you fail to show the entire painting in full screen? Only the detail shots are full screen. And you, of course. But Nolde's composition, the most important aspect of his work, is never shown full screen, or in focus. Close-ups of the paint, but not of the painting's composition. Too bad, and hard to understand.

[@paulgalligan6292]

Daniel, your a funny smart guy 👆

[@ARCTERYXSWEATSHOP]

[@deliagussefeld8462]

Die arme Angie, wenn mans überlegt--- vom Regen in die Traufe...

[@erlingandersen8008]

love his paintings-- despice the person

[@udod6372]

What do you know about him really , Cleverer. ?

[@erlingandersen8008]

@@udod6372 well i know he was very early member of the naziparty and styed a member. he pointed out at least one person as a jude, vronglig, he had several freindly metings with topnazis, like goebbels. you dont think thats enough?

[@user-qp6wm4bg1i]

"He was a great painter and dedicated Nazi" … as epitaphs go, that's worth little more than a dog lifting its hind leg at the tombstone.

[@mrdenovo7]

Emil Nolde was a Nazi. But he was a product of an evil movement(really a man that only wanted to create art). But he influenced my own work, I first came in contact with his work around 1983. I saw things a little clearer for it. Daniel did a fine job on his fair presentation.

[@rajnishsasmal]

I don't think he was a nazi . He was just an opportunist , and thought would be promoted by nazi , but he was wrong ...

[@rajnishsasmal]

Anyway he is a great artist and fantastic colourist... honestly ....particularly sea scape

[@ekzoekzo]

Daniel, sei doch muttiger!

[@Russlandreportage]

ekzoekzo hab ihn zu dem Thema vor ein paar Jahren mit Dr. Lüdeking sprechen gehört. Dort war er in seiner Kritik deutlich schärfer, und mit sehr viel mehr Humor auch!

[@hughiedavies6069]

I never knew he was a member of the nazi party, I understand why he was rejected by them, his paintings aren't what I associate with the nazi party or their narrow idea's of what art should be about, I know they labelled lots of similar artists work degenerate , it doesn't change the way I feel about his paintings although I'd prefer it if he hadn't been a nazi.

[@chrisconnor8086]

not enough respect

[@jan-martinulvag1953]

In you that is

[@Beinhartwie1chopper]

Its time for a haircut

[@azharlatif6228]

Mr. Richter's haircut unlikely to boost your I.Q.or Emotional Intelligence.

[@joggin9141]

waffle

[@kenrunciman8706]

Artists should be seen, but not heard.....