Hand-colored drypoint with aquatint; trial proofexpand_more
The Mr. and Mrs. Hall James Peterson Fundexpand_more P.69.160
Max Pechstein was a leading German expressionist painter and printmaker and member of the avant-garde artist association Die Brucke. This poignant portrayal of a mortally wounded soldier is based on his own experiences and memories serving as a soldier in the German army during the First World War (1914-18). The print, a rare hand-colored proof outside of the regular edition, was published as part of a series of dramatic scenes of modern warfare that comprised Pechstein's Somme 1916 portfolio.
The Somme, a region in northern France, was the site of a series of battles in the summer and fall of 1916 between allied British and French armies and entrenched German forces. The conflict soon devolved into a war of attrition that ultimately claimed more than 850,000 lives. As a consequence, the Somme has become a symbol of the utter senselessness of war.
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