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拍品專文
Executed a year after World War I, Railroad Viaduct exemplifies Lyonel Feininger’s mastery of the woodcut technique. At a time when many German artists were looking back to more archaic and immediate forms of expression, Feininger and many of his Expressionist contemporaries - perhaps inspired by the works of Paul Gauguin and Edvard Munch (see lot 352) - turned towards the woodcut, the most ancient of all printing techniques, favoured by the anonymous masters of the 15th century as much as by the great masters of the early 16th century, such as Albrecht Dürer and Hans Baldung (see lot 302). For Feininger, the woodcut was simple and direct: all he needed was a pocket knife and a plain wooden board, preferring to hand-print his proofs, with no press required. In applying uneven pressure, variations in tonality and transparency could be achieved, while the choice of support - often different types of Japanese paper - further enhanced the uniqueness of each of Feininger's prints.
The composition of Railroad Viaduct is more expansive, detailed and descriptive than many of his other landscapes, which are pared down to basic geometric shapes and visual structures, often bordering on abstraction. In the present print, we see influences from Feininger's early career as a cartoonist and illustrator. A steam train rolls along the imposing bridge with black smoke billowing out of the locomotive, while the people within this cityscape, dwarfed by the viaduct, are reduced to puppet-like silhouettes consisting of awkward lines and shapes. Stripped of any physical reality, these diminutive or grotesquely enlarged automaton-figures and their shadows seem comical at first, but are imbued with a lingering, haunting quality. In the context of post-war Europe and the rapid growth and industrialisation of the cities, the scene evokes a sense of urban alienation, isolation and loss of individual identity. It is this unique combination of cartoonish boldness and humour paired with subtle atmospheric undercurrents, which make Feininger one of the most idiosyncratic and unforgettable printmakers of the Expressionist period.
The composition of Railroad Viaduct is more expansive, detailed and descriptive than many of his other landscapes, which are pared down to basic geometric shapes and visual structures, often bordering on abstraction. In the present print, we see influences from Feininger's early career as a cartoonist and illustrator. A steam train rolls along the imposing bridge with black smoke billowing out of the locomotive, while the people within this cityscape, dwarfed by the viaduct, are reduced to puppet-like silhouettes consisting of awkward lines and shapes. Stripped of any physical reality, these diminutive or grotesquely enlarged automaton-figures and their shadows seem comical at first, but are imbued with a lingering, haunting quality. In the context of post-war Europe and the rapid growth and industrialisation of the cities, the scene evokes a sense of urban alienation, isolation and loss of individual identity. It is this unique combination of cartoonish boldness and humour paired with subtle atmospheric undercurrents, which make Feininger one of the most idiosyncratic and unforgettable printmakers of the Expressionist period.