Link nur auf Unterseiten benutzbar

During his time in Dresden, where Max Pechstein studied at the art academy and came into contact with the 'Brücke' group of artists, he had already come into contact with the carved objects of the indigenous groups of the Palau Islands in the South Seas in the local ethnological museum. From the perspective of the time, he was fascinated by the closeness to nature and the supposed originality of the life of the people in the South Seas, which he saw - in keeping with the spirit of the times - as also visible in the (artistic) craftsmanship. Pechstein himself travelled to the Palau Islands in 1914 in search of a direct and simple reality that had long been lost in Western Europe. But his stay was abruptly cut short by the outbreak of the First World War. He returned to Berlin under adventurous circumstances, and the artistic processing of his journey was delayed.

In 1919 he produced a large series of 50 sheets, the so-called Reisezeichnungen, in which he recorded his stays in Monte Rosso al Mare in Italy and in the South Seas. The portfolio was published by the Berlin publisher Paul Cassirer in an edition of 810 numbered copies.

The lithograph shows a view from a slightly elevated position of some of the houses in a Palau village set among palm trees. He based his travel pictures on diary entries and small drawings that he was able to make on the spot. They depict everyday scenes and are characterised by ornamental and decorative compositions that idealise the reality of local life. The Von der Heydt Museum owns three other lithographs by the artist with South Sea motifs. Due to the light sensitivity of the material, however, these can only be exhibited rarely and for a short time. The prints will be replaced in the course of the exhibition in accordance with conservation requirements.