Zwei Figuren (Two Figures) [p. 20] 

Max Beckmann made this pencil sketch, “Zwei Figuren,” on a sheet of paper around the time of the First World War. It shows two figures, one standing at what seems to be a bar while another is sitting down. Beckmann was part of a generation of German artists struggling to make sense of rapid social and political change. After Germany lost the First World War, there was a period of intense artistic innovation and experimentation as different groups of artists tried to find the best way to represent the new reality. The so-called New Objectivity artists to which Beckmann belonged were critical of Expressionism, which they saw as too emotional and irrational. Instead, they sought a more dispassionate, realistic way of depicting the world around them. Beckmann developed a distinctive style characterized by strong lines and simplified forms, influenced by medieval woodcuts. Art historians rely on primary sources like letters and diaries, as well as contemporary reviews and critical essays, to better understand the social and institutional contexts that shaped artists like Beckmann. In this way, we can begin to appreciate how this sketch challenges existing social norms.