Pettneu am Tyrol

Max Pollak

Max Pollak, in order to get the delicate drypoint lines to print well, collaged a thin sheet of white oriental paper the size of the plate to a heavier sheet of wove paper. This allowed the optimal printing quality but also added the ability for the viewer to handle the work. The 'color' of the snow is this thin paper, whereas the margins are the heavier 'support sheet.' In the background, he adds a diagonal area of aquatint to create a sense of depth and scale.

This composition is one of a series of prints Pollak did of winter in the Alps around 1920. This image is a winter view from over a hill into the Austrian village of Pettneu am Arlberg in the Landeck district of Tyrol. The village's name means "New Bridge" and was bestowed on it around 1300. Its major industry is tourism, especially skiing and tobogganing. At the center of the composition rises the steeple of Assumption of Our Dear Lady Mary Church. In the background looms the mountain Hohe Riffler.

This impression has a red "FPC" stamp in the lower margin, indicating it was from the personal collection of the artist's late widow, Freidl Pollak.