Max Pechstein, Spring 1918 by Atelier Liesjes

A lively, colourful landscape with a village or gardens in bloom: several buildings with pointed roofs (possibly farms) in purple, orange and yellow, surrounded by flowering trees with white and pink blossoms. Green and blue hills, a red-orange wall or path, and a horse or animal on the right. The sky is dramatic with clouds in blue and pink, the colours bright and contrasting (green, purple, orange, white, red); the composition is dynamic with curved branches and a sense of spring energy. Signed "H.P. Pechstein".
Meaning This work from 1918 (end of WWI) symbolises renewal, hope and vitality after the war. The blossoming nature and exotic architecture (possibly inspired by travels or dreams) celebrate a return to harmony and beauty. Pechstein, a member of Die Brücke, uses bright colours here to express emotion and vitality – a typical expressionist motif of spring as liberation and primitive joy, with a decorative, almost paradisiacal tone.
Technique Oil on canvas: thick, expressive brushstrokes with impasto for texture in flowers and roofs, bright, non-naturalistic colours (purple, orange, green, blue) with strong contrasts and flowing forms. Flat surfaces combine with dynamic lines for a decorative effect – characteristic of Pechstein's post-Brücke style in 1918, with Fauvist influences and a focus on emotional expression over realism.

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.