Männliche Bildnisstudie (Male Portrait with Beard) [p. 54] 

Editor: This is Max Beckmann's pencil drawing "Männliche Bildnisstudie," or "Male Portrait with Beard." It seems like a preliminary sketch from a notebook. I’m struck by its unfinished quality, particularly the large hand looming above the figure's head. It feels unsettling, almost like the subject is trapped. How do you interpret this work? Curator: That feeling of being trapped is quite perceptive. Beckmann made this within a larger sociopolitical context of increasing constraint. Remember, Beckmann's expressionism often reflected the anxieties of pre-war Germany. These aren't straightforward portraits; they are studies in psychological intensity. Note how the beard, almost a mask, obscures the lower face. The hand above, is it benevolent, threatening, or indifferent? Does that hand seem like a societal expectation pressing down on the individual? Editor: It could be! I hadn't thought about societal pressures. I initially saw it as more personal, but given Beckmann’s era, that wider context makes a lot of sense. Does the sketch-like quality also tell us something about the societal pressures of image making at the time? Curator: Exactly. This roughness counters the polished portraiture expected by the elite. It rejects established norms by revealing the human process of image-making. Do you notice other parts of the piece that lend to his goal of showing the true form? Editor: Definitely. The eyes are uneven, almost distressed. He isn't idealizing the sitter at all. This makes me wonder how art functioned as resistance for him? Curator: That's key! Beckmann and other Expressionists used their art to critique social structures and challenge traditional artistic conventions. The museum space then becomes another contested arena for meaning. It is like society wants this and the artist resists this in the image making process. Editor: This was eye opening. I never looked at Expressionism through a societal lens like this. It gives "Male Portrait with Beard" such a powerful voice! Curator: Precisely! And hopefully encourages you to see how even seemingly simple sketches can speak volumes about history and culture.