Max Pechstein
Germany
1881-1955

Holzschnitte title page, 1919
Woodcut Print
15 1/4 x 11 1/2 in.
Sweeney Art Gallery Permanent Collection
Gift of Henry W. Coil Jr.
96.1.45

One of the most well known of the German Expressionists, Max Pechstein was at the center of German artistic activity in the period prior to World War I. He was a member of Die Brucke (the Bridge) a group formed by four young architectural students to break with established styles and both depict and live a new lifestyle of freedom. They were influenced by the European traditions of the Post-Impressionists such as Cezanne, Van Gogh and Gauguin. Additionally, Pechstein was especially influenced by non-European arts, particularly after his trip to the Palau islands. Holzschnitte includes this influence in the enlarged geometric features modeled after the styles of island wood carvings. Holzschnitte is German for Woodcut

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