Pechstein, like Nolde, was fascinated by the primitive and wanted to experience at first-hand native societies in their unspoiled, environments. This desire lead him to travel to the South Seas island of Palau in 1914. Pechstein's sojourn on the island was interrupted by the outbreak of World War I and Pechstein was obliged to return to Germany and join the army in 1915. On his return to civilian life in 1917, he executed his famous series of Palau paintings, based on the verbal and pictorial sketches which he had kept in his Palau Diary.

These rare paintings owe much to Gauguin, particularly in their idealised view of the natives and their lifestyle. Jill Lloyd makes this point very clearly in German Expressionism, Primitivism and Modernity where she writes: "Pechstein's description of the Palau islanders follows the idealistic model of Rousseau's noble savage: he consistently emphasizes the cleanliness, dignity, humanity and gentle childishness of the natives. Most important, he represents them living in concert with nature, enjoying an effortless round of fishing, hunting, feasting, dancing and sleeping. One excerpt from his memoirs should serve to give the flavour of this account: 'I was surrounded by an unsurpassable natural lushness. Incomparably fertile growth extended everywhere, plants never before seen, palms and bread fruits rose up, bamboos and sugar beet. In this verdure huge colourful butterflies fluttered about - you could almost say that they took the place of flowers. The eternal ocean shimmered with unbelievable colours. The glowing sun threw out beams of light which Europeans would never suppose to exist. In such nature, out of such nature, the brown natives grow. Slim, bronzed beings in their godly nudity. The women wearing only little skirts, made of palm leaves of grass, around their hips'". (op. cit., p. 201.)