Johannes, Offenbarung, Kapitel 11, Verse 4 und 5 (John, Revelation, Chapter 11, Verses 4 and 5) (plate, page 38) from Apokalypse (Apocalypse)
1941 - 1942, published 1943
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
one from a bound volume with 27 lithographs with watercolor additions on laid Van Gelder Zonen paper
Dimensions
page size: 39 x 30 cm (15 3/8 x 11 13/16 in.) accessory size: 39.5 x 31 cm (15 9/16 x 12 3/16 in.)
Classification
Volume
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.66.14
Art Historical Context
Max Beckmann's *Johannes, Offenung, Kapitel 11, Verse 4 und 5* (plate 38 from *Apokalypse*), created between 1941 and 1942 and published in 1943 captures the German Expressionist's intense vision amid World War II. Exiled from Nazi Germany and living in occupied Amsterdam, Beckmann turned to the Book of Revelation for his series of 27 lithographs, channeling biblical apocalypse into a stark reflection of contemporary horrors. This bound volume, now in the National Gallery of Art thanks to a gift from his widow, embodies his symbolic style—distorted forms and brooding symbolism that critique hu...
About the Artist
Max Beckmann
Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (1884-1950) stands as one of the most significant German painters of the twentieth century, a complex artist who bridged Expressionism and the New Objectivity while forging a deeply personal visual language. Born in Leipzig into a middle-class family, Beckmann's artistic journey spanned from academic classicism through the traumatic crucible of World War I to a mature s...