Rua II 2

Max Beckmann

1916

Rua II 2 by Max Beckmann, 1916

Max Beckmann drew this chaotic scene right in the middle of World War I, and you can practically hear the noise radiating off the page. On the far left, a woman screams with her mouth wide open, while a bespectacled man—likely a self-portrait—looks on with a mix of fascination and horror. Beckmann served as a medical orderly during the war and suffered a nervous breakdown, which completely shattered his earlier, calmer style into this jagged, intense Expressionism. The crowded, scratchy composition makes you feel like you're trapped in a city street where everyone is on the edge of a breakdown.

Technique
drypoint
Material
ink on paper
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