Max Pechstein

Galerie Gurlitt, Berlin (until 1923)
Kunsthandel, Berlin (circa 1935)
Private Collection, Bavaria (acquired circa 1935)
Sale: Hauswedell & Nolte, Hamburg, 8th June 1990, lot 82
Purchased at the above sale by the present owner

Wilhelm Hausenstein 'Max Pechstein' in Deutsche Kunst und Dekoration, Darmstadt, 1918, vol. 42, illustrated p. 206
Max Raphael 'Max Pechstein' in Das Kunstblatt, Potsdam-Berlin, 1918, no. 6, illustrated p. 168 (tilted Calla)
Aya Soika, Max Pechstein, Das Werkverzeichnis der Ölgemälde, Munich, 2011, vol. I,  no. 1917/19, illustrated in colour p. 494 (illustration inversed)

The canvas is not lined and and there is no evidence of retouching visible under UV light. Apart from some slight wear to the upper right corner and a few fly spots in places, this work is in overall very good condition.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Painted in 1917, Pechstein's brilliant Calla-Stilleben im Spiegel is a powerful still-life dating from the  period when the artist had recently returned to Berlin after serving the German Army for two years. 1917 marked the end of his military service, returning home after travelling through the Philippines, San Francisco, and New York, and following a tumultuous period in which he was interned by the Japanese forces after the breakout of the First World War.

Capturing the essence of Pechstein's talent as a colourist, the modernist art historian Max Raphael comments on this particular and exciting period in Pechstein's life: 'this colourist paints still-lifes: flowers and fruits, cutlery and landscapes, in a room or on the table, where nature's rhythms float together [...] the centre of Pechstein's art of course remains colour, which he yields together with the Line and the Form, and in which light is reduced to a flat, geometric shape' (Max Raphael, Max Pechstein, in: Das Kunstblatt, 1918, p. 161).

Such focus on the use of colour is pivotal to the artist's resurgence from the European strains of war, his brushwork translates into softer touches on the canvas, and his compositions are symmetrical, yet impinged with a certain harmonised dissonance. In an autobiographical letter to Georg Biermann, Pechstein describes his journey between personal life and artistic creativity:

'I strenuously need to re-learn my crafts. My nerves don't seem to want to get used to Daseins' peacefulness. It has been a big hit, and while I was sent from one front to the other, I feel like my body hasn't been getting enough rest. Everything is new: how did I create my canvases earlier and which colours did I use?' (quoted in Georg Biermann, Max Pechstein, Leipzig, 1920, p.16).

A period of outstanding creativity marks the beginning of a new artistic direction for the artist. From 1917 to 1918, he gradually abandons the Brücke touch, reducing the sharpness and stark contour lines in favour of a factual overview and a carefully arranged composition. In the present work, the composition is however interrupted by the introduction of a mirror as a prop, metaphorically cutting the painting in half, and creating a smooth yet uneven reflection of the beautiful flowers in the right foreground. Spatial dynamism is continuously challenged by the artist, movement not only created by the carefully arranged objects in the foreground, a totem-like statuette to the left and a bold ashtray,  but equally by the vibrant tones employed, the oranges, pinks, and greens, rendered as brilliant waves of colours through the canvas.  Pechstein further develops areas of pure pristine white, relating the flowers to both the faces of the figurines and to the cigarettes, imbuing the scene with a sense of intimacy and mesmerising harmony.