Second Illustration for Chapter 1, from the portfolio ‘The Duchess’
1917
Max Beckmann’s jagged, scratchy lines practically vibrate with anxiety in this 1917 drypoint. We see three figures huddled in a chaotic knot: a central man with wide, terrified eyes, flanked by a screaming, hooded figure that looks like a twisted jester and a draped, ghostly form reaching down with a massive hand. Created right in the middle of World War I, this piece reflects the trauma Beckmann experienced as a medical orderly, where he witnessed horrific injuries that led to a nervous breakdown. He hated the label 'Expressionist,' preferring to call it simply his reality—a reality that looks like a nightmare of sharp angles and fear.
- Technique
- drypoint
- Material
- paper
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