About the work

"Art is no stopgap, it is a necessity of life”. This quote from Siegward Sprotte is found on a plaque in front of his former studio in Kampen on the island of Sylt. The artist had already lived there since 1945, where he had various places of residence. Nonetheless, his life and work were characterised by travel until his death in 2004. He alternately worked between north and south, for a half a year on Sylt and, among other places, in Potsdam, New York and the Hamptons, on Madeira, in Southern France and in the Dolomites. Sprotte’s work fascinates through its handling of colour and form. He also deliberately moved the red hollyhock within a pyramidal pictorial system on this sheet as a complementary contrast with the green background. With a few sure brushstrokes, he watercoloured the flower confidently onto the paper and captured the characteristics of the vegetation in the process. The red blossoms open generously and turn toward the light before many shades of green and leaf shapes. The background withdraws completely behind this symphony of colour. A few colour elements in light shades appear in a neutralising function around the towering plant, which extends over the entire height of the painting format. Buds at the top suggest new blossoms on the way. As a result of the painting process of reduction and abstraction, Sprotte’s work increasingly finds its way to spontaneously recorded, pictorial shorthand reports, with which he is able to capture the essence of nature. Sprotte’s hollyhocks face the future positively and radiate optimism. His motto of "art is a necessity of life" is expressed powerfully here.