Wien: Maria am Gestade

Max Pollak

Maria am Gestade, loosely translating to "Mary at the Shore", is the name of the late 14th/early 15th century Catholic Church found in the Innere Stadt district of Vienna, one of the oldest churches in the city and the last surviving examples of Austrian Gothic architecture. It was known as the place of worship for sailors and fishermen on the Danube.

Dating the early works of Max Pollak can be difficult, though it is known that he frequently depicted his homeland of Austria before he relocated to the United States in 1929. Additionally, his use of multiple colors without the added technique of a la poupée applied color aquatint was rare and he didn't seem to delve into color at all until he'd mastered etching in the early 1910s. At that point he primarily used color for figurative works.

Here, however, he has employed two colors to helped provide depth to this late afternoon urban scene, illuminating the sun-struck tower by using a subtle touch of ochre, printed on a rich cream 'China' paper, collaged to a heavier wove white and reserving the dark, brown-black ink for the structures cast in shade created by dtrypoint an roulette. This was likely created between 1915 and 1925 by our estimation.