Sechs Linolschnitte (Six Lino Cuts) is probably the closest that Hoerle came to an erotic portfolio, but his strong clean lines leave us in no doubt that when these prints were made sex was very much on his mind.

In addition to the contributions these prints make to Hoerle’s constructivist principles, they also display a wry and sardonic wit. That penis will never fit in that hole; that fat arse will never reduce enough; thinking about too many cocks at once is scary. But there is also pleasure to be had in the juxtaposition of fingers and genitals …

We are very grateful to Hans-Jürgen Döpp for these images; Hans-Jürgen, the compiler of many books on erotic art, curates the Venusberg online gallery and bookshop which you can find here.