Die Straße
1919
Max Beckmann captures the sheer chaos of post-WWI Berlin in this claustrophobic scene, where a blind beggar stumbles through a crushing crowd of soldiers, prostitutes, and bourgeois figures. Created in 1919 as part of his famous 'Hell' portfolio, this piece reflects the artist's own trauma from the war and the societal collapse of the Weimar Republic. Notice the skull-like face of the central figure and the aggressive, jagged lines that make the whole composition feel like it's about to explode—Beckmann isn't just showing a street; he's showing a society on the brink of madness.
- Technique
- Lithograph
Location: Museum of Modern Art, New York
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