Artwork of the Month:
Max Liebermann, Strand in Noordwijk, 1911
Video
Artwork of the Month: Max Liebermann, Strand in Noordwijk, 1911
Summer, sun, beach, and sea. Who doesn't love this scenery! The painter Max Liebermann was no exception, spending his summer months from 1905 to 1913 in the coastal town of Noordwijk. In our painting from 1911, there is no composed or constructed ideal landscape, but rather a snapshot of a moment. With light brushstrokes and gentle pastel tones, the beach chairs are scattered across the image. Faintly, in just a few brushstrokes, the beachgoers are captured in the background. The little water sparkles in clear, bright blue hues in the sunlight. Liebermann’s gaze is focused on a small group of figures. In the centre of the picture, a young boy in bright red trousers is digging in the sand with a spade, beside him sits a girl wearing a sunhat and summer dress. Away from the hustle and bustle of the city, Liebermann enjoyed the gentle breeze, the brightness of the sun’s rays, and the sound of the waves.
After the turn of the century, Liebermann increasingly dedicated himself to the glamorous beach life, painting directly on site in nature. The outbreak of the First World War brought an end to his annual trips to Holland. From then on, he spent the summer months with his family at his villa on the Wannsee, which now served as a retreat and source of inspiration for his vibrant late works.