Boxing match between women 1922

Editor: Here we have Max Beckmann’s 1922 pencil drawing, “Boxing match between women,” currently housed in the Städel Museum. The sketched figures are so spare and stark; they appear weightless on the page. How would you interpret this work? Curator: The tension in this piece lies within its composition. Note the contrast between the dense, almost frantic, line work around the figure on the right, vis-à-vis the clean, albeit distorted, contours of the figure to the left. Observe how the white space both separates and unites these two figures, pushing them into a visual conflict that mirrors the thematic suggestion of a boxing match. What feelings does this contrast evoke in you? Editor: It gives the image a nervous energy; it’s like the drawing itself is vibrating. So, you're saying that it is not so much what is depicted, but how it is depicted that conveys meaning? Curator: Precisely. Beckmann masterfully uses line and form to generate affect. The jagged, broken lines build a sense of instability, which, combined with the distorted figures, transcends mere representation to communicate something deeply psychological. We may even call it expressionistic, in its raw conveyance of emotion through form. Editor: So, the focus on line and form gives us a whole new lens through which to view this work, and Expressionism beyond mere representation? Curator: Indeed, the drawing, not the drawing *of* becomes the point of departure for engaging with the artwork. Editor: I will look at art in a very different way from now on.