Zirkusnummer mit Schlange (Animal Trainer) [p. 10]
1876 to 1900
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
graphite on paper
Dimensions
page size: 20.5 x 16.3 cm (8 1/16 x 6 7/16 in.)
Classification
Drawing
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.37.7
Art Historical Context
Behold Max Beckmann's *Zirkusnummer mitange (Animal Trainer)*, a captivating graphite drawing on paper from a sketchbook dated between 1876 and 1900. This intimate work, measuring just 20.5 x 16.3 cm, captures the dramatic tension of a circus performer with a snake, rendered in Beckmann's precise yet expressive lines. The modest scale invites close viewing, drawing us into the raw energy of the scene on page 10 of the sketchbook. Max Beckmann (1884–1950), a leading figure in German Expressionism, frequently turned to circus motifs throughout his career, using them to explore themes of spectac...
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...