THE COLLECTION
Erich Heckel (German, 1883–1970)
Wounded Sailor (Verwundeter Matrose)
- Date:
- 1915
- Medium:
- Woodcut
- Dimensions:
- composition: 13 1/4 x 11 5/8" (33.6 x 29.6 cm); sheet: 22 13/16 x 14 15/16" (58 x 38 cm)
- Paper:
- Cream, smooth, wove. Printed on verso of French map of Lille area.
- Publisher:
- unpublished
- Printer:
- The artist
- Edition:
- few impressions
- Credit Line:
- Johanna and Leslie J. Garfield Fund
- Copyright:
- © 2016 Erich Heckel / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / VG Bild-Kunst, Germany
- Reference:
- Dube 295 II.
- MoMA Number:
- 415.2010
- Themes:
- Primitivism, War
- Techniques:
- Woodcut
German Expressionism: The Graphic Impulse
March 27–July 11, 2011
Heckel was stationed in Belgium with the Red Cross medical corps. This is one of several woodcuts in which he depicted the injured soldiers and sailors in his care. Its iconic format recalls the heroic soldiers in German propaganda posters, but instead of looking ahead with determination, this sailor turns away and lowers his eyes in resignation. His head is placed against a white cruciform shape, implying martyrdom.