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LYONEL FEININGER 1871-1956
1871 – New York – 1956 (American/German)
Title: On the Quay Wall | Auf der Quaimauer, 1921
Technique: Original Hand Signed Woodcut on Wove Paper
Paper size: 40.5 x 31 cm. / 15.9 x 12.2 in. Image size: 16.5 x 22 cm. / 6.5 x 8.7 in.
Additional Information: This original woodcut is hand signed in pencil “Lyonel Feininger” at the lower left margin. It was published by Euphorion Verlag, Berlin in 1921/22 in a limited edition of 125 of which only 100 were printed on wove paper as ours. It was included in the album Die Schaffenden [The Creators] vol. 4, no. 1, and the blindstamp of the publisher can be seen at the lower right corner.
Note: The founding of the Künstlergruppe Brücke and the birth of Expressionism also marked the beginning of a ‘print revival’ in Germany. After the predominantly reproductive or illustrative print production of the 19th century, prints and in particular woodcuts began to be seen as a powerful and important medium of artistic expression. In order to disseminate and promote this revived print production, artists and artists’ collectives began to issue portfolios, and gallerists and critics, such as Herwarth Walden (1879-1941) and Paul Westheim (1886-1963), published magazines and journals which included original prints. While some were very short-lived, Paul Westheim’s publication Die Schaffenden, ran from 1918-32 with four issues per year. Each issue consisted of a portfolio containing ten original prints, mostly but not exclusively by German artists, including some of the leading figures of the German avant-garde, such as the Brücke-artists Heckel, Pechstein and Schmidt-Rottluff, and satirists such as George Grosz, as well as lesser-known artists of the time. No other periodical came to showcase and represent the artistic life of the inter-war years to a similar degree.
Literature: Prasse, L.E. (1972). Lyonel Feininger: A Definitive Catalogue of his Graphic Work: Etchings, Lithographs, Woodcuts. The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1972.
Reference: Prasse W. 243.
Condition: Very good condition. Staining in the upper corners from hinging verso, visible recto. Minor nicks along the sheet edges. Pale time-staining around the image.
