The Lord’s Prayer, sheet 5 – Give Us this Day Our Daily Bread (Das Vaterunser – Unser täglich Brot gieb uns heute)
Max Pechstein
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.
This sheet depicts men praying before their meager meal. Their poses and expressions suggest thankfulness paired with a sense of desperatation.
Physical Description:
Four men in plain, dark clothing sit, with hands folded in prayer, around a rectangular table, in the center of which is a fish on an oval platter. The man at the far end has his eyes closed. The other three raise their faces to heaven.
Usage Rights:
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