The artistic development of Otto Niemeyer-Holstein started in 1917 with his engagement with the movements and styles of the early 20th century. The Expressionism and New Objectivity especially influenced Oto Niemeyer-Holstein especially- up until his late works. The encounter with Alexej von Jawlensky, Marianne von Werefkin, and Arthur Segal in Ticino, in Ascona, had an immediate impact on the young painter, who started as a self-taught artist. "The paintings by Otto Niemeyer-Holstein's gained such strength in the 1950s that it was considered a cornerstone of humanistic art in the GDR, alongside the works of Dresden artists Rosenhauer, Kretzschmar, Wigand, and Glöckner.” (translation of a direct quotation)
As a special achievement of Niemeyer-Holstein's painting, the depiction of the Baltic Sea coast stands out beyond any local patriotism. In these paintings, the artist has given his best. They show Niemeyer-Holstein at the peak of his skill. The impressions of nature in such paintings, which seem like a masterclass in painting, are completely transformed into art. The motif is spiritualized in the language of colours. Although what has been observed of nature remains recognisable, the object loses its direct representational quality in favor of a statement in which a refined interpretation dominates.
This type of art of painting, inspired by the borderland between land and sea, primarily points to itself and only then to the object it represents." (Prof. Dr. Lothar Lang in "Malerei und Grafik in Ostdeutschland", Leipzig 2002)
