Portrait of Lilli von Schnitzler-Mallinckrodt
1931
Max Beckmann captured the elegant profile of socialite Lilli von Schnitzler-Mallinckrodt in this striking 1931 sketch, created just as the Weimar Republic was beginning to crumble. Notice how her gaze drifts upward, almost dreamy, framed by those signature 1920s finger waves and a long, dangling earring. Beckmann was a giant of German Expressionism, known for his intense, often jagged style, but here his lines feel surprisingly fluid and intimate. Lilli was a wealthy patron of the arts, and Beckmann painted her multiple times, clearly fascinated by her presence. The signature in the bottom right anchors this moment in time, right before the dark years of the 1930s would eventually force the artist into exile.
- Technique
- Pencil drawing
- Material
- Paper
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