In this triptych of fishermen launching boats and hauling nets, Max Pechstein found peace after experiencing the horrors of World War I. He had visited the charming Italian fishing village of Monterosso four years earlier. But the war intervened before he could realize his sketches as paintings. Released after three years fighting on the Western Front, he finally returned to his studio and his Monterosso sketches. The war seems far away from this sunny beach.

These painting’s bright colors and idyllic subject offer me an escape from this year’s torrent of tormenting news. They speak of happier times, out in the sun, warmed by sand beneath my feet. I look forward to revisiting those times again.