Hütte am Strand, 1912
Erich Heckelexpand_more
Watercolor and black chalk on paperexpand_more
Gift of Elie Ballasexpand_more 2023.106.3
Not on Viewexpand_more
In 1905, Erich Heckel and fellow architecture students in Dresden--Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, and Fritz Bleyl--founded "Die Brücke" ("The Bridge") a progressive artists' group which became central force in German Expressionism. The group struggled with police suppression and public distaste for their art. Undeterred, they used printmaking and watercolor as vehicles for quickly producing art that could be sold at prices within reach of broad sectors of society.
Members of "Die Brücke" enjoyed being in nature. For three summers, 1909-11, they took summer vacations together on the Moritzburg lakes just north of Dresden. This is probably where Heckel made the present watercolor in 1911, and he probably painted on the spot. Quick, nervously energetic strokes indicate the lakeshore, beach, changing hut, a fellow vacationer, and the surrounding wooded hills, all beneath a bright blue sky. Die Brücke broke up in 1913, and Heckel pursued his own path, eventually being denigrated by the Nazis as a "Degenerate Artist." Among other things, the Nazis could not accept his rough, unfinished treatment of many subjects, as seen in the present watercolor.
Details
- Title
- Hütte am Strand
- Artist Life
- 1883 - 1970
- Role
- Artist
- Accession Number
- 2023.106.3
- Curator Approved
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