Christian Rohlfs (1849–1938) saw himself as an experimental practitioner and remained interested in the phenomena of nature throughout his life – a man of eyes! His work and his life in Weimar and Hagen connect two centuries that were characterized by tradition and new beginnings. He responded to current artistic trends like almost no other artist and continued to develop his painting into old age. He remained unmistakable in his pictorial language, which gained further strength and originality in his late work.
The Kunstmuseum Ahlen presented around 100 paintings, watercolors, prints and drawings by the artist from the end of the 19th century through to the 1930s. In addition to works from the museum's own collection, the high-caliber loans came mainly from public and private collections in North Rhine-Westphalia. The selection focused on landscapes and depictions of nature. Expressive values such as condensation and dissolution, construction and dynamics, materiality and transparency were shown here in a particular variety and intensity. An exciting presentation, which juxtaposed early and late works, different techniques and different moods, enabled intense visual experiences. A small cabinet exhibition with eleven selected paintings complemented the exhibition with a look at his contemporaries.
