Frau mit Hut (Woman with a Hat) [p. 104] 1914 - 1915

Max Beckmann made this sketch of a woman with a hat with graphite on paper. Beckmann, a key figure in the New Objectivity movement in Germany, lived through the first World War, and his work often reflects the anxieties of his time. This sketch is evocative of the cultural milieu in which it was made. Germany, in the interwar period, experienced social and political upheaval, economic instability, and rapid modernization, but its art academies remained conservative. Beckmann challenged traditional artistic conventions by exploring themes of alienation, identity, and the human condition. He was part of a broader artistic response to the trauma of the first World War. As historians, we can analyze Beckmann's work through many lenses, using archival documents, period publications, and critical analyses to understand the cultural and institutional context that shaped his artistic production. Art like this is not made in a vacuum.