Woodcut from a portfolio with sixteen woodcuts, one woodcut title page, one woodcut table of contents, one woodcut cover and one woodcut colophon
Not on view
Walter Helbig's woodcuts present idyllic views of nature, village life, bathers, and religious scenes far removed from the bustling Berlin metropolis, where many of the prints were made. Around 1910, Helbig had encountered the art of the Brücke artists through his friendship with Otto Mueller, who had begun exhibiting with them. These prints, made between 1911 and 1925, show the decisive impact of the Brücke on Helbig's style, as seen in the stark contrasts of black and white, the simplified compositions, and the angular forms.
PUBLISHING HISTORY
Helbig had developed close ties to modern artists working in Switzerland. In 1924, he moved to the country, settling in Ascona, a picturesque village that was becoming increasingly popular with tourists. He published this portfolio himself in 1926, and it serves as a retrospective of his prints up to that point.
Heather Hess, German Expressionist Digital Archive Project, German Expressionism: Works from the Collection. 2011.
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