Weibliches Gesicht, wohl Pierrette (Woman's Face, probably Pierrette) Face [p. 78] 

Max Beckmann’s “Woman’s Face, probably Pierrette” is a sketch made with pencil on paper. It is a fleeting study, not a finished artwork in the traditional sense. The artist’s hand is very much present in the quickly applied lines, which imbue the drawing with a sense of immediacy. The texture of the paper, visible beneath the graphite, further emphasizes the work's provisional nature. Beckmann was part of a generation who questioned academic art practices, and a drawing like this is a clue to his working methods. It sits in an interesting place, somewhere between preparation and a resolved artwork. The work may have served as a reference for a larger project. The artist might also have valued the sketch as an end in itself, as an intimate record of their creative thinking. Focusing on materials and processes helps us to understand the various possibilities, and meaning, contained within a work of art.