group of waterfowl and chickens rendered in blue, orange and red pigments; standing on a watery, rippled surface

Waterfowl and Chickens (Wasservögel und Hühner), c. 1920

expand_more

Color woodcutexpand_more

Gift of Marla J. Kinneyexpand_more  2019.57.20

Not on Viewexpand_more

Emil Pottner broke a few rules with this print. He shifted his color blocks so that they were slightly out of register, even though he had little squares in the margin to aid in proper alignment. The shift resulted in a lively sense of movement, a nonstop peeping, pecking, and waddling.

Birds were a lifelong subject for Pottner, and he saw all kinds outside his door in Petzow, Germany, a spot along the Havel River near Berlin. In 1938 the Nazis forced Pottner, who was Jewish, from his home. He died after being deported to the Treblinka death camp in 1942.

Details
Title
Waterfowl and Chickens (Wasservögel und Hühner)
Artist Life
1872 - 1942
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2019.57.20
Provenance
Sale, Hermann Krause Kunsthandel, Cologne, Germany, 2016, to Clemens; (Thomas J. Clemens, Boston, 2016-17; sold to Kinney); Marla J. Kinney, Minneapolis (2017-19)
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

Does something look wrong with this image? Let us know

Zoom in on the left to the detail you'd like to save. Click 'Save detail' and wait until the image updates. Right click the image to 'save image as' or copy link, or click the image to open in a new tab.

group of waterfowl and chickens rendered in blue, orange and red pigments; standing on a watery, rippled surface