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The Lord’s Prayer, sheet 1 (Das Vaterunser)

Max Pechstein

Artwork Details

The Lord’s Prayer, sheet 1 (Das Vaterunser)
1921
Max Pechstein
woodcut with hand-coloring on paper
23 1/2 x 16 1/4 in. (59.69 x 41.28 cm); ; ;28 1/8 x 22 in. (71.44 x 55.88 cm)
Museum Purchase
1948/1.423

Description

Subject Matter:

Pechstein's "The Lord's Prayer" series of woodcuts mixes the text of the prayer with images of human wretchedness and spiritual need that draw on the Christian tradition to comment directly on the suffering and despair experienced by many Germans in the aftermath of the First World War and the economic crisis that followed.

Physical Description:

This title sheet from Pechstein's "The Lord's Prayer" portfolio has the title of the series in large letters and an attribution to Pechstein at the bottom. Beneath the word "Vater," a man leans over a table, his hands folded in prayer. Two other praying men in profile bracket the word "Unser" near the bottom. All three wear plain, long-sleeved blue shirts.

Usage Rights:

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