Franzi and Her Sister in a Hammock 1910

Max Pechstein made this drawing with crayon, watercolor, and graphite on laid paper; can you imagine the push and pull of these materials? The tan of the paper stock sets a hazy, hot, lazy mood, right? The loose strokes of crayon create the basic forms, with quick flicks of graphite adding definition. And that hammock slung between the trees – the color of a lemon! I bet Pechstein worked fast to capture the scene and the light. The sisters are lounging, relaxed, while the marks on the ground in the foreground are active. The whole thing hums with the energy of a summer afternoon. Pechstein, like other expressionist painters, wasn’t aiming for photographic realism but for something more heartfelt. He wanted to evoke a feeling, a mood. And by the looks of it, he succeeded. These paintings remind us that art-making is about so much more than just the final image. It’s an ongoing conversation and exchange of ideas across time.