Magic Mirror 1946

Editor: Here we have Max Beckmann's "Magic Mirror," a drawing of a woman standing beside a leaning mirror. It's very graphic, with lots of cross-hatching. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the printmaking process itself. Beckmann made one of 90 prints. It implies a market, a consumer. This wasn't some singular, precious object, but something produced and distributed. Notice, too, the labor involved in the hatching, the deliberate hand of the artist. Editor: So it's less about the magic and more about the method? Curator: Precisely. Consider the social context; printing made art accessible. Is it about the democratization of art? Editor: I hadn't thought about it that way, very interesting. Curator: Yes, seeing it in that light gives the work another layer.