1916, Erich Heckel, Praying Woman -- Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg)
From the museum label: This painting dates from Heckel's military service in a medical unit in Ostend, Belgium. The work was the left wing of a large five-part altarpiece intended to comfort the wounded at Christmas. Only this wing has survived. The haggard Virgin Mary figure is wide-eyed with terror, evoking a war trauma. But the flourishing verdant landscape, bathed in light, holds out the hope of a fresh start.
1916, Erich Heckel, Praying Woman -- Germanisches Nationalmuseum (Nuremberg)
From the museum label: This painting dates from Heckel's military service in a medical unit in Ostend, Belgium. The work was the left wing of a large five-part altarpiece intended to comfort the wounded at Christmas. Only this wing has survived. The haggard Virgin Mary figure is wide-eyed with terror, evoking a war trauma. But the flourishing verdant landscape, bathed in light, holds out the hope of a fresh start.