Max Beckmann

Max Beckmann was a German artist from Berlin (1884-1950). Beckmann emerged onto the Berlin art scene in 1910, although his first early works were created in a Late Impressionist, Although he had publicly criticised Franz Marc and the Blaue Reiter’s impulse toward abstraction and spirituality in 1912. (1)

These Late Impressionist pieces are not what garnered him so much popularity today. While he was away from Berlin he still found time to create despite the circumstances. After years of service he was discharged from the Belgium Medical Corps after suffering a nervous breakdown in 1915. Once he returned from Belgium he focused more on his artist future and moved Frankfurt, though still keeping connections to the Berlin art circles. He reflected on his time at service and expressed how he was left heavily disturbed by the harrowing scenes that he witnessed through his art he developed a new approach and began to explore a new way of creating.

From 1914 up to 1923 Beckmann created a substantial amount of, exclusively Black and White, intaglio prints. These pieces have an eerie and chaotic feel around them feeding into the chaotic scenes of WW1. Later he explored distorting and exaggerating the subjects in his drawing and paintings leading him into the style we know him for today.

In 1937 during the Second World War, Nazi troops pillaged art galleries across Germany and Europe. While doing this the Nazis removed all of his works from the public view and they stayed out of sight for many years. While the awful events were unfolding across the continent he took refuge in Amsterdam.

Beckmanns works have now became a crucial piece in German Art history, a perfect example of the German Expressionists. His messy and energetic technique leaves the viewer with much to discover. These busy pieces are an iconic part of art history and thanks to his odd depictions of people and landscapes have made him an easily recognisable artist with much modern day acclaim and praise.

The Last Supper (Das Abendmahl) from Six Lithographs to the New Testament (Sechs Lithographien zum Neuen Testament)
sheet: 17 7/16 x 21 1/8″ (44.3 x 53.7 cm) (2)

(1)https://www.moma.org/s/ge/collection_ge/artist/artist_id-429.html

(2)https://www.moma.org/s/ge/collection_ge/objbyartist/objbyartist_artid-429_role-1_sov_page-14.html