MalepartusSheet 7 of the series 'Hell' 1919

Max Beckmann made this drawing, part of his 'Hell' series, using graphite. Can you imagine him, in that moment, hunched over the paper, pressing down hard to create those intense black lines? The whole thing feels like it's about to explode. There are figures entangled, their limbs all akimbo, with these almost violent angles. Beckmann's not holding back. He's diving headfirst into the chaos. You can see a kind of fury and frustration being worked out right on the page. The image feels claustrophobic; everyone is trapped in their own personal hell. Beckmann’s series reminds me of what Goya did with his etchings – both artists unafraid to stare into the abyss, using the starkness of black and white to capture the darkest corners of human experience.