Buon anno 1917
1917
Despite the cheerful title 'Happy New Year 1917', Beckmann created this chaotic scene while recovering from a nervous breakdown caused by his service as a medical orderly in World War I. The jagged, scratchy lines capture a group of grotesque figures—some playing instruments, others pointing and mocking—celebrating amidst the horrors of war. It’s a biting satire of society carrying on with frivolity while the world burns, typical of his Expressionist style that rejected pretty pictures for raw, emotional truth.
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