Portrait of Wolfgang Frommel [p. 17] 1944 - 1949

This drawing of Wolfgang Frommel, was made by Max Beckmann. You can almost feel Beckmann's pencil dancing across the page here. It's all light and airy, with these scribbly lines that somehow capture a face, a presence. I can imagine him quickly sketching, trying to nail down the essence of Frommel—the way his hair falls, the set of his jaw. What were they talking about, I wonder? Beckmann was such a moody guy, always wrestling with the world in his paintings. But here, there's a lightness, an intimacy. It’s like he’s letting us peek into a private moment between friends. And, well, isn't that what drawing is all about? A way to connect, to see, to feel another person. We get a little closer to them, and to Beckmann too.