Minneapolis Institute of Art

Waterfowl and Chickens (Wasservögel und Hühner)

Emil Pottner

Date

c. 1920

Medium

Color woodcut

Department

European Art

Institution

Minneapolis Institute of Art

Emil Pottner broke a few rules with this print. He shifted his color blocks so that they were slightly out of register, even though he had little squares in the margin to aid in proper alignment. The shift resulted in a lively sense of movement, a nonstop peeping, pecking, and waddling. Birds were a lifelong subject for Pottner, and he saw all kinds outside his door in Petzow, Germany, a spot along the Havel River near Berlin. In 1938 the Nazis forced Pottner, who was Jewish, from his home. He died after being deported to the Treblinka death camp in 1942. Europe

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