Max Pechstein, Pike on Leaves, 1923 by Atelier Liesjes

An expressive still life in oil paint: a large pike (Hecht / Esox lucius) lies centrally on a large green leaf (possibly a fig or cabbage leaf) that serves as a kind of bed or plateau. The fish is stylised with a dark back, yellow spots and green scales, with a sharp head and open mouth. The background is a plain green surface, the table or surface dark red/brown. The composition is simple and close-up, with strong contrasts and an almost decorative effect; signed 'H. Pechstein 23' (or variant).
Meaning This work from 1923 was created during Pechstein's stays on the Baltic Sea (e.g. Leba or Rowe), where he often caught or observed fish. The pike on leaves symbolises the direct connection with nature, the cycle of life and death, and the raw beauty of everyday life – typical of Pechstein's interest in the primitive and vital. The still life celebrates the simplicity of the catch and the aesthetics of nature, with a slight melancholy (the dead fish). In 1923, Pechstein sought peace and authenticity after the war, and this motif fits into his series of coastal and nature works with an expressive, almost symbolic charge.
Technique Oil on canvas: thick, expressive brushstrokes with impasto for the texture of the fish and leaves, bright but muted colours (green dominant, with yellow, black and red accents). Flat surfaces are combined with contours for a decorative and powerful effect, typical of Pechstein's style in the early 1920s – inspired by Fauvism and Brücke principles, but with a more subdued, harmonious tone than his early raw works.

Hermann Max Pechstein (Zwickau, 31 December 1881 – Berlin, 29 June 1955) was a painter from Germany. Pechstein is considered an important representative of Expressionism. In 1918, after the First World War, Pechstein co-founded the Arbeitsrat für Kunst (Workers' Council for Art) and in 1922 he became a member of the Prussian Academy of Arts.