Monday, November 29, 2010

Max Pechstein - Day of Steel!



Max Pechstein was born in Germany in 1881. At a young age, he was heavily influenced by Van Gogh and his works of art. He then grew up to be an expressionistic painter and printmaker. In 1906, he joined the Art Group De Bruicke, and also later founded the German New Succession. He enjoyed using the fauvist manner of painting, and typically enjoyed painting flowers, nudes, and landscapes. He would take vacations to the island of Niden, Prussia, where he slowly transcended into more primitive art, using thick black lines and strong color unmixed from the tube.
We picked this painting, titled "Day of Steel." This painting has rolling hills, and is set in a forest with mountains on the horizon. Four people are in the forest with mountains, two are orange, one is red, and the other is blue. The red person is convincing an orange to take off a white cloth. All people are naked, and the other orange person is off walking towards the trees. The blue person is tucked away in the lower, right corner.
There are many archetypes in this work of art. We believe that the red colors are prominent in this painting for a reason. The red person could perhaps be evil, along with the scenery around it, (the ground, road, flowers, etc.) The setting is in a forest because it's mysterious and easy to lose direction. We also thought the red road is the road to temptation. With the red person being so powerful looking, we thought the shy blue person could be their "other side." They show that they're powerful and manipulative, but deep down are a lost, and depressed soul.

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