New York 1871 - 1956 New York
Village
1908, Coloured chalk on thin laid paper
16,6 x 10,7 cm
The year in which our enchanting print Village was created coincides with a period that is regarded as a turning point in Lyonel Feininger's life: He moves from Paris to Berlin and begins work on his famous grotesque and mummery pictures - a development from an extremely innovative caricaturist to an independent draughtsman and painter. Most likely created between May and August 1908, this sheet is part of a series of figurative architectural drawings.
The composition, characterised by the interplay of architecture with whimsical, silhouetted figures in a village square, preoccupied the artist even longer and inspired him in 1911 to paint "Häuser und Menschen" (Houses and People) (also called "Sonnenaufgang"), which has presumably been lost. In comparing the two, the differences and the significance of the small drawing, which is many times more dynamic and spontaneous, become clear. It is by no means to be regarded as a mere preliminary study, but rather as a small masterpiece in its own right (this is also attested to by the artist's irregular blue framing). "Village" is an indication that Feininger will revolutionise the architectural motif in painting.