Double Portrait 1923

Max Beckmann made this double portrait on canvas with oil paints in 1925. Look at the women’s faces: they seem sad, or perhaps simply a little bit serious. Beckmann uses a muted palette, yet somehow the flesh tones still manage to pop. They appear as though they’ve been lit up with a neon glow. His dark, assertive lines and flattened forms give the image a graphic quality, like a woodcut. The paint isn’t too thick, but not super smooth either, and you can tell that Beckmann didn’t fuss over the finish. My favourite detail is the dog tucked between the two figures: it looks like he’s been squashed in there! The painting feels both very modern and strangely old fashioned, which is a combination I find really intriguing. If you like Beckmann, I’d also recommend taking a look at some work by Otto Dix or Christian Schad – the way they use paint is equally as arresting.