Picture "Landscape in Eichsfeld" (1937) (Unique piece)

During his six-decade creative career, Heckel’s interest in landscape depictions remained a constant motif. From 1920 onwards, the artist undertook annual journeys during which he was extremely productive: the Alps, the landscapes of southern France, Italy, southern Germany and later also Carinthia particularly inspired him to create watercolours, whereby he first sketched what he saw in pencil and then coloured it with rapid strokes. In doing so, the woodcut-like drawing style of the early years gives way to a naturalistic painting style that captures the varied structures of the landscapes.

Watercolour over pencil on handmade paper, 1937. Signed, dated and titled. Motif size/sheet size 48 x 66 cm. Size in frame 72 x 90 cm as shown.

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About Erich Heckel

Erich Heckel (1883-1970) is one of the most important artists of German Expressionism. In 1905, together with Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Karl Schmidt-Rottluff and Fritz Bleyl, he founded the legendary artists' group "Die Brücke" in Dresden, which later Max Pechstein, Emil Nolde and Otto Mueller joined.

After World War I Heckel developed a new, cosmopolitan classicism that was accompanied by a more naturalistic approach and a brightening of the palette. In the 1920s, he produced numerous landscape works, including the unusually large charcoal drawing of the 'Westerholz Mill', which is still a popular touristic destination in Schleswig-Holstein.

Erich Heckel's works are represented in the world's leading museums and collections.

Painting with glazing watercolours, that are characterised by their transparency, which let deeper layers and painting surfaces shine through.

Often the paper surface is omitted. This contributes significantly to the effect of the work. The aquarelle or watercolour painting requires skilful use of colour, as it dries quickly and corrections are almost impossible.

A one-of-a-kind or unique piece is a work of art personally created by the artist. It exists only once due to the type of production (oil painting, watercolour, drawing, lost-wax sculpture etc.).

In addition to the classic unique pieces, there are also the so-called "serial unique pieces". They present a series of works with the same colour, motif and technique, manually prepared by the same artist. The serial unique pieces are rooted in "serial art", a genre of modern art that aims to create an aesthetic effect through series, repetitions, and variations of the same objects or themes or a system of constant and variable elements or principles.

The historical starting point is considered to be Claude Monet's "Les Meules" (1890/1891), where, for the first time, a series was created that went beyond a mere group of works. The other artists, who addressed to the serial art, include Claude Monet, Piet Mondrian and above all Gerhard Richter.