Tanzendes Paar (Dancing Couple) [p. 62]
1927
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
page size: 17 x 11.8 cm (6 11/16 x 4 5/8 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.41.18
Art Historical Context
Max Beckmann's *Tanzendes Paar (Dancing Couple)*, created in 1927, the artist's distinctive Expressionist vision during the vibrant yet turbulent Weimar Republic era in Germany. Beckmann, a leading figure in German Expressionism, was renowned for his angular, distorted forms and psychological intensity, often reflecting the social upheavals of post War I Europe. This graphite drawing depicts an intimate moment of dance, rendered with bold, economical lines that convey movement and emotion on a modest 17 x 11.8 cm sheet of paper. As a drawing in graphite—a medium Beckmann favored for its immed...
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...