Lot 241 D

The sun is an important motif in Max Pechstein's work - particularly in the landscapes created in the context of his stays in Leba, it often occupies a prominent position. Regarding the period that the artist spent in Leba in the early 1920s, Janina Dahlmanns writes: “Pechstein repeatedly captured emotionally moving natural phenomena like sunrises and sunsets, moonlight and striking situations of the sky, light and clouds. He occupied himself with the changing atmospheres of the light in the northern sky, which range from the gently shimmering nuances of the early morning hours to the glowing visions of sunsets. These were now redefined before his expressive background. He used bold colours to give expression to his intense experience of nature. Dramatically atmospheric paintings were created as visualisations of his inner sensations.” (Janina Dahlmanns, Pommersche Paradiese. Max Pechstein in Leba und Rowe, in exhib. cat. Max Pechstein. Künstler der Moderne, Bucerius Kunst Forum, Hamburg 2017, p. 148).
It seems logical that twilight must have held a particular fascination for the Expressionist Pechstein, both because of its constantly varying how the landscape is experienced and in the context of a synthetic understanding of nature. In the tremendous colours of our watercolour Pechstein combines not just one, but two celestial phenomena: the sun, which is apparently in the process of setting or rising, and the moon, which already stands in the sky. What is particularly striking here is the dramatic depiction of the sun breaking through the clouds and its reflection on the water - with an expressive gesture, Pechstein has given it the form of a glowing red ball with an expressively jagged reflection.