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The Lord’s Prayer, sheet 6 – And Forgive Us Our Sins (Das Vaterunser – Und vergieb uns unsre Schuld)

Max Pechstein

Artwork Details

The Lord’s Prayer, sheet 6 – And Forgive Us Our Sins (Das Vaterunser – Und vergieb uns unsre Schuld)
1921
Max Pechstein
woodcut with hand-coloring on paper
23 x 16 ¼ in. (59.69 x 41.28 cm); ; ; ; ;28 ⅛ in x 22 in (71.44 cm x 55.88 cm)
Museum Purchase
1948/1.428

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 in hope and fear for forgiveness from a radiant, powerful, and formidable God.

Physical Description:

A group of seven men kneel and pray around a radiant figure representing God. God is in the viewer's upper left, and the supplicants are arranged around him. Hands project into the scene from behind God, suggesting additional figures kneeling in prayer behind.

Usage Rights:

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