Max Pechstein, rescue station in the dunes, 1920 by Atelier Liesjes

A bright and dynamic dune landscape in oil paint: in the centre, a small red and white rescue station (Rettungshaus) with a gabled roof and turret, typical of the Baltic Sea coast. It stands on rolling, yellow sand dunes with green tufts of grass and bushes. To the right and left, swaying pines or tall grasses in green and dark blue. In the background, the sea in deep blue with white waves, a small boat and a bright sky with clouds in blue and yellow. The composition is open and light, with stark contrasts and a sense of wind and space; signed ' "H. Pechstein 1920"'. Meaning This work from 1920 was created during Pechstein's intensive period on the Baltic Sea (Nidden, Leba or surroundings), where he retired after the First World War. The rescue station symbolises protection, hope and human presence in the rugged natural environment – a beacon amid the elements. The dunes and sea represent freedom, vitality and escape from modern chaos. In the early 1920s, Pechstein sought simplicity, light and harmony; this painting celebrates authentic coastal life as a refuge and source of renewal.
Technique Oil on canvas: thick, expressive brushstrokes with impasto for texture in dunes and trees, bright, non-naturalistic colours (yellow dunes, green grass, blue sea/sky) with strong contours and dynamic lines. Flat surfaces combine with flowing forms for a decorative and light-filled effect – characteristic of Pechstein's style around 1920, with Fauvist colour intensity and Brücke heritage, but softer and more harmonious than his early raw works.

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.