Sailboats at Fehmarn

Two sailboats cruise along the coast of Fehmarn, an island in the Baltic Sea where Ernst Ludwig Kirchner spent many summers. A bold arc of black sails float across the print like paper triangles in the wind. Their dynamic angles set the composition spinning and capture the feel of boats bobbing on choppy water. Kirchner had been making woodcuts for eight years, experience that shows in his waves made from the lacy edges of gouge marks.