With a striking radiance, this imposing still life unfolds an intense interplay of blue and turquoise tones, allowing viewers to experience Max Pechstein's characteristic sense of color firsthand. In his still lifes, the artist, one of the leading representatives of German Expressionism, repeatedly explores form, ornamentation, and color. However, the focus of this work is not the flower arrangement, but the richly patterned tablecloth that dominates the composition and is the eponymous element of the work. Pechstein emphasizes textiles as a pictorial motif, creating an unusual equivalence between the object and its surroundings.

The tablecloth can be seen on a studio photo from 1930. It is adorned with a wide embroidered border and features a complex ornament of figurative and floral elements. At first glance, the shapes seem to recall patterns typical of the South Seas—a reference to Pechstein's stay on the Palau Islands in 1914. But on closer inspection, a very German motif is revealed: scenes of a grape harvest, framed by grapevines, possibly even with a hint of a city skyline at the top. The rhythmic execution of the motif in the embroidery may have fascinated Pechstein so much that he incorporated it into this floral still life. This tension between the lush abundance of the expansive bouquet and the orderly ornamentation on the tablecloth, combined with the strong color effect in the background, is what makes the painting so appealing. It is a prime example of his desire to bring his observations to life in a new formal language and with intensified colors.

The fact that Pechstein attached particular importance to this painting is also evident in the fact that he made a special note about it in his workshop journal: "on June 1, 1918, 'Die Blaue Decke' left the artist's studio at Offenbacher Straße 8 in Berlin. Wilhelm Hausenstein mentioned the work in an early article about Pechstein in 1918—an indication of its rapid recognition within contemporary art.

Provenance
The painting has a well-documented provenance that further underscores its significance. Originally held by the Berlin Galerie Fritz Gurlitt, it likely passed into the collection of the Düsseldorf collector Ernst Linnenkamp in 1923 and was presumably later sold through Galerie Ferdinand Möller. In 1960, it came into the possession of the American collector Morton D. May via the Carlebach Gallery in New York. May was one of the most important patrons of German Expressionism in the USA. The work was exhibited in his collection at the Saint Louis Art Museum, where it was catalogued as part of his legacy starting in 1983. In 1986, it was sold and entered a German private collection, where it has remained to this day.

With its combination of colorful composition, ornamental density, and historically significant provenance, “Die Blaue Decke” is one of Pechstein’s works that exemplifies the spirit of Expressionism in its search for originality and renewal. [EH]