Botschaft (Valentine)

Richard played with the idea of the sea as a vertical wall in a couple of paintings of this period including The Gathering of the Waters of the same year. In both these cases it seems to represent a barrier which lovers strive to overcome in order to reach each other. Botschaft is the German for message and the subtitle Valentine implies that the white yacht is doing its best to be a link for the two lovers. It could be that she is trying to attract the attention of the rather somnolent-looking man! I love the way the painted rhythm of the waves on the sea gives way to brush-strokes round the woman’s figure, enhancing the sensuousness of her body.