Le dernier devoir de Persée
1949
Max Beckmann unleashed this violent, mythological drama in 1949, just a year before his sudden death, channeling the lingering trauma of World War II into a twisted retelling of the Perseus legend. In the center sits the headless, bleeding torso of Medusa, while a dark, muscular figure—presumably Perseus—looms on the left with a massive sword raised high, looking more like an executioner than a hero. To the right, terrified figures huddle inside a glowing green oval, perhaps a mirror reflecting the horror or a cave of witnesses trapped in the aftermath. As a master of Expressionism, Beckmann uses jagged lines and clashing colors to turn an ancient hero’s tale into a grim, psychological commentary on the brutality of the modern world.
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