Spindelmuhle (Spindlermule; Bohemia)

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 ivory wove paper. This allowed the optimal printing quality but also added the ability for the viewer to handle the work.

The light 'color' of the snow is created by this thin white paper whereas the margins are the heavier 'support sheet.' In the middle-ground he adds four walking figures, which add a sense of scale, behind them the village of Spindelmuhle, a forest, mountains, and a dark winter sky, all done using drypoint.

This composition is one of a series of prints Pollak did of winter in the Czech Alps around 1920. Spindelmuhle is a town in Trutnov District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 1,100 inhabitants. It lies in the Giant Mountains and it is one of the most frequented ski resorts in the country.