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on soft wove paper, a proof aside from the edition of 40 published in Elf Holzschnitte (11 Woodcuts).
In 1921 the Berlin publisher gathered together 11 of Heckel’s woodcuts from the years 1912-1919 to publish in the monumental print portfolio Elf Holzschnitte. The series comprised some of the artist’s most striking woodcuts of these important years.
Madchen am Meer depicts a woman within the context of a fractured and prismatic landscape and sky exaggerating the contrast of black and white. The work draws on cubist influences and the rich cultures of the African continent and South East Asia. Heckel painted a similar composition in oil at the same date (Vogt 1918, 4, listed as ‘whereabouts unknown’; Hunecke 1918.2 ‘verschollen’ – lost )
The format recalls the early German woodcuts of the Masters like Albrecht Durer whom were greatly admired by the Brucke artists.
Examples of this woodcut are in a number of museums including The Museum of Modern Art, New York.
