Bildnis Freda Wermel in gelbem Kostüm. Um 1946.
Oil on fibreboard.
Soika 1946/8. 70 x 53,8 cm (27,5 x 21,1 in).

PROVENANCE: Artist's estate.
Private collection Northern Germany.

Besides landscapes and still lives it particularly were portraits that occupied a special position in the later oeuvre of Max Pechstein. The dramatically portrayed lady in a yellow dress only slowly realizes what role she plays in this work. The strong yellow, which Pechstein loved very much, makes for a clear contrast with the depicted person’s skeptical facial expression. Accordingly, the work is not really a representative portrait. The strong application of the paint in broad strokes of the brush hints at a dynamic the painter possessed up to his old age. [KD].