Link nur auf Unterseiten benutzbar

During his time in Dresden, where Max Pechstein studied at the Academy of Fine Arts and came into contact with the artists' group 'Brücke', he encountered carved objects from indigenous groups on the Palau Islands in the South Pacific at the local ethnological museum. From that perspective, he was fascinated by the closeness to nature and the supposed originality of the lives of the South Pacific peoples, which he believed – in keeping with the spirit of the times – could also be seen in their craftsmanship. In 1914, Pechstein travelled to the Palau Islands in search of a direct and simple reality that had long since been lost in Western Europe. However, his stay was abruptly cut short by the outbreak of the First World War, and he returned to Berlin under adventurous circumstances. It was only after some time that he began to process his journey artistically.

In 1919, he created a series of 50 prints, known as the Travel Pictures, depicting his time in Monte Rosso al Mare, Italy, and the South Seas. The portfolio was distributed in an edition of 810 numbered copies by the Berlin publisher Paul Cassirer.

The lithograph depicts two fishermen bidding farewell as they set out in their boat. On the island shore in the background, two people wave back. He used diary entries and sketches made on location as the basis for his Reisebilder. These depict everyday scenes and are characterised by ornamental, decorative compositions that idealise life in the South Pacific. The Von der Heydt Museum in Wuppertal owns three other lithographs by the artist featuring South Sea motifs. However, due to the light sensitivity of the material, they can only be exhibited rarely and for short periods of time. The prints will be replaced during the exhibition in accordance with conservation requirements.