Sitzende mit Blumen (Seated Woman with Flowers)

Martel Schwichtenberg, who first enjoyed success as a graphic designer, eventually became a fixture in Berlin’s avant-garde art circles. This portrait, created early in the artist’s career, depicts a calm and contemplative female subject set against a country landscape. Clearly influenced by Expressionism, a popular style of painting in which reality is distorted to heighten or express emotion, Schwichtenberg uses vibrant, contrasting colors, different values of the same color, and lively intersecting shapes to create a tapestry-like surface. This dynamic composition foregrounds the sitter, who exudes a quiet inner strength.