German painter, printmaker and sculptor, Erich Heckel was a revolutionary artist. He, along with Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, formed the modern ‘expressionist’ group “Die Brucke” in 1905. One of his most memorable works from that time is the striking “Weisses Haus in Dangast”, which means White House. . in Dangast. In the summers of 1907-1908, Erich Heckel had joined Schmidt-Rotluff on trips to the Dangast coast on the North Sea. Dangast’s virginal natural beauty had inspired Heckel to paint numerous landscapes. It was there that he painted “Weisses Haus in Dangast” in 1908. The colors used in the painting are fiery reds, bright oranges, pristine white, and the various shades of blue and green. Despite the riotous burst of color, the painting has a certain harmonious quality.
The scene in this oil on canvas painting depicts a winding and windy road on the Dangast coastline with mud houses and foliage on either side. A huge white multi-story house with green and orange windows stands on the right side of the painting with some trees towering over it. The white house was actually the post house of the city of Varel. The pure white of the post house shines in contrast to the vibrant colors of the paint. In the right front section of the painting, there is a small bright orange house. Another adobe house stands across the street from her. It is slanted and colored with a mixture of orange, red, and green. A dazzling street runs through the center of the painting. There is some short grass and bushes scattered on the slope near the road. Houses and streets are outlined in black and blue. The dark aqua blue sky has traces of white and light blue, possibly representing clouds. The vivid and illustrative layers of color interspersed in the image form a silhouette of shapes. Heckel’s indomitable use of color with quick, harsh brush strokes in “Weisses Haus in Dangast” makes it a shining example of his “expressionist” style of painting. Many art lovers mistook this painting for a ‘Fauvist’ work, due to Erich’s unbridled use of color.
Erich Heckel’s non-contemporary style was ahead of its time. He contributed enormously to the evolution of “modern” artists. Although, today, his exhibitions do phenomenally well, his works were not very well received at the time. “Weisses Haus in Dangast” is currently on display at the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum in Madrid, Spain.