Ink Drawing of a woman with a hat resting her face, strong with expression, on her hand
German Expressionist max Pechstein was known for his painting and prints of nudes and landscapes. As a leading memeber of the German Expressionist group Die Brücke (The Bridge), he travelled through many styles, from impressionism to vigorous brush strokes and jarring combinations of unmixed colours.
Max Pechstein, (born Dec. 31, 1881, Zwickau, Ger.—died June 29, 1955, Berlin), painter and printmaker, who was a leading member of the group of German Expressionist artists known as Die Brücke (“The Bridge”). He is best known for his paintings of nudes and landscapes.
Pechstein began his artistic career working as an apprentice to a decorator from 1896 to 1900. He attended art school in Dresden, Ger., from 1900 to 1906. In 1906 Erich Heckel invited him to join Die Brücke, a group of art students that had been founded in 1905. At the time, Pechstein was painting in an Impressionist style. However, his association with the members of Die Brücke and his exposure to the works of Henri Matisse led Pechstein to begin to use vigorous brush strokes and jarring combinations of unmixed colours, as in his painting Indian and Woman (1910). He frequently painted with Heckel and fellow Die Brücke member Ernst Ludwig Kirchner.