Man on a Plain by Erich Heckel

Art work details

Original Title :

Mann in der Ebene (Selbstbildnis)

Year of production :

1917

Artist:

Erich Heckel

Medium :

Original print, Woodcut

Materials:

Ink, Paper

Dimensions :

height: 38 cms; width: 27 cms

Credit Line :

Purchased from Mrs Margaret Fisher with MGC/V&A Purchase Grant Fund assistance

Copyright :

© DACS 2013

Catalogue References:

Dube (H)305 II B.

Associated Groups :

Die Brücke, Berliner Secession

Tags:

World War I, Portrait, Woodcut, Self Portrait, Heckel

The taut, attenuated forms of this self-portrait and the pulsating lines coming from the sky reflect the oppressiveness and strain of the war years. The composition has been compared to Munch’s lithograph of The Scream of 1895 where the reverberating parallel lines reflect the anguish of the figure.

Erich Heckel was the treasurer and secretary of Die Brücke and rented the group’s first communal studio in Dresden. He was primarily responsible for holding the group together when differences of opinion between Kirchner and Schmidt-Rottluff threatened its unity. In the summer months he often worked with them separately.