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Emil Nolde was part of a group of artist entitled Die Burke,
meaning The Bridge. This group of artists got thier name because they believed thta thier art briged the gap
between the old age and the new. These were the first German artists to dabble in expressionism.
Die Burke artists explored ways to express thier ideas about the problems of society and thier belief that man and
nature should be joined together.
Nolde focused mainly on religious imagery. This painting "St. Mary of Egypt
among Sinners", is the left panel of a triptych. The narrative of this piece is Mary Magdalen, before her conversion
to christianity, is entertaining three men. It is believed that the lust these men are experiencing is cause for
the ugly and menicing faces that Nolde has portrayed here. Nolde uses aggressive brush strokes, distortion
of forms, and harsh color to display and evil ora about this piece. The painterly brush strokes also have
a sense of immediacy and passion about them that contribute to the feel of this painting.
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