Old Factory

Paula Modersohn-Becker (1876-1907) was a German painter known for the simplified forms and earthy colors that make her a precursor of Expressionism and one of the most original painters of the early 20th century. Old Factory from 1900 depicts an industrial subject in the simplified, earthy manner that distinguishes Modersohn-Becker's early work from the more decorative Worpswede style of her colleagues. The 1900 date places this at the very beginning of Modersohn-Becker's mature period, when she was developing the simplified forms and earthy colors that would make her one of the pioneers of modern painting.

Old Factory is important in Modersohn-Becker's early development because it demonstrates the industrial subject and simplified manner that she was developing in 1900, before her encounter with Cezanne and African art would push her toward even greater simplification. The factory subject shows Modersohn-Becker treating an industrial subject with the same simplified forms and earthy colors that the Worpswede painters typically reserved for rural subjects.

Old Factory is Modersohn-Becker's early simplification confronting industry: a factory rendered in the simplified forms and earthy colors that she was developing in 1900, before her encounter with Cezanne would push her toward even greater simplification. The 1900 painting shows modern industry through the lens of Worpswede simplification.