Two Heads

Two faces fill the canvas. A man and a woman are nestled close together, yet their gazes never meet. Pechstein, hailed as 'the painter of paradise,' captivated audiences as a leading figure of Die Brücke from before the war, celebrating joy with vibrant colors. While it might be assumed that his brilliance continued after the war, the truth is that in this 1920 watercolor, the former light is no longer present.

In 1920, Berlin, the 38-year-old Hermann Max Pechstein was in deep solitude. Just a few years prior, he had believed he found a 'utopia' in the Palau Islands. However, World War I took everything away: internment by the Japanese army, military service on the front lines. He had navigated through mud and the shadow of death, finally returning to the city. Yet, what awaited him in the Berlin he returned to was rampant inflation and political turmoil.

His brushwork, which once depicted wild vitality, underwent a transformation. Heavy, angular lines drawn with charcoal and muted color tones were manifestations of the decadence that permeated post-war Weimar society and an indelible existential anxiety. He had a long-time wife, Lotte, a woman who had served as the model for countless masterpieces since they met in 1909. However, the year after this painting was created, in 1921, they chose to divorce.