Hermann Max Pechstein

Estate of the artist
Thence by descent to the present owner

Berlin, Magistrat der Stadt Berlin, Abteilung für Volksbildung, Staatsoper/Admiralspalast, Max Pechstein, 1946, no. 7


To be included in the forthcoming Pechstein Catalogue raisonné being prepared by Dr Aya Soika.

The canvas is not lined. There appears to be no evidence of retouching visible under UV light. Apart from a light diagonal crease across the lower right quadrant with some possible pin-dots of associated paint loss (the crease is visible on the reverse), this work appears to be in good original condition. Colours: Fairly accurate in the printed catalogue, although the yellow and some of the green pigments are more vibrant and there is more contrast overall in the original.
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Painted in 1939, Wald in den Pyrenäen wonderfully shows Pechstein's debt to the former Brücke ideal of creating a harmony between man and nature. The artist depicts wild, unspoiled forms of nature in all their mystical splendour and primitive purity. Whilst the strong influence of Fauve art is still visible in the vibrancy of colours, the overall calmness of execution seems to override the composition, brilliantly representing the artist's mature Expressionist style. As Markus Krause remarked: 'Over the years Pechstein developed an artistic equilibrium. The overheated, painterly gesture was increasingly giving way to a more cultivated, well-tempered style [...]. Max Pechstein's paintings of the late 30s and 40s are often characterised by an almost lyrical sensation of nature' (quoted in Max Pechstein, Sein malerisches Werk (exhibition catalogue), Brücke-Museum, Berlin; Kunsthalle Tübingen, Tübingen & Kunsthalle zu Kiel, Kiel, 1996-97, p. 131, translated from German).