Max Pechstein, Rowing Boats and Dinghy, 1911 by Atelier Liesjes

A quick, expressive ink drawing on beige paper: two traditional Baltic Sea boats (Kurenkähne – flat fishing boats with tall masts and sails) lie close together in calm water. In the centre is a larger boat with an upright mast and sail, and on the right is a smaller dinghy (Beiboot) with a round hull. The lines are fluid and dynamic, with striking hatching for shadow and texture on hulls, masts and sails. The horizon is vague with waves and sky, the composition is sketchy and focused on the boats as the central motif; signed ' "H.P. 1911"'. Meaning This work from 1911 was created during Pechstein's early visits to the Baltic Sea (e.g. Nida or the Curonian Spit), where he intensively captured authentic fishing life and boats. The Kurenkähne symbolise the simple, hard life at sea and the harmony between man and the elements – a typical Brücke motif of primitive vitality and escape from urban modernity. The drawing shows Pechstein's fascination with direct observation and the everyday, with a raw, spontaneous energy that reflects the Brücke ideals of freedom and the power of nature. Technique Black ink (pen and brush) on paper: quick, flowing lines of varying thickness and cross-hatching for volume, shadow and movement. No colour, but strong graphic contrasts and texture through repeated strokes – typical of Pechstein's early sketch-like drawings in 1911, still strongly rooted in the Brücke tradition of direct, raw expression and preparatory to his later watercolours and oil paintings.

Hermann Max Pechstein (Zwickau, 31 December 1881 – Berlin, 29 June 1955) was a painter from Germany. Pechstein is considered an important representative of Expressionism. In 1918, after the First World War, Pechstein co-founded the Arbeitsrat für Kunst (Workers' Council for Art) and in 1922 he became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts.