Zwei Figuren (Two Figures) [p. 50]

Art Historical Context

**Zwei Figuren (Two Figures)**, a delicate graphite drawing on graph paper by Max Beck, dates to 1918/1919. Measuring just 15.8 x 10.5 cm, this intimate work captures two figures amid the artist's post-World War I recovery. Beckmann, a pivotal German Expressionist, had served in the military, suffering a breakdown that profoundly shaped his vision of human anguish and resilience. Created on unconventional graph paper—likely a practical choice in resource-scarce postwar Germany—this sketch exemplifies Beckmann's raw, exploratory drawing technique. Graphite allows for precise yet expressive lines, hinting at the distorted forms and psychological depth that defined his mature style, bridging intimate studies to his later grand triptychs. Now in the National Gallery of Art thanks to a gift from Mrs. Max Beckmann, *Zwei Figuren* offers visitors a window into the artist's mind during a transformative era, blending personal turmoil with the Expressionist drive to confront modernity's harsh realities.

About the Artist

Max Beckmann · 1884–1950

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...