Weibliche Bildnisstudie (Female Portrait Study) [p. 7] 

Max Beckmann made this female portrait study with graphite on paper, probably sometime in the first half of the twentieth century. The quickly laid lines give the impression of immediacy. There's nothing particularly special about the materials themselves, but that's the point. Graphite, like any material, has its own inherent qualities; in this case, the potential for rapid mark-making and easy erasure. Beckmann is known for his expressionist paintings and prints, where subjects are rendered through bold lines. Here, he uses the simple medium of graphite to achieve a similar effect on a smaller scale. The diagonal hatching that defines the form of the subject indicates the labor involved in modeling the face, a pattern of tonal gradations across the page. The relative simplicity of the materials puts the focus on the artist’s hand and eye. It reminds us that "high art" relies on all sorts of vernacular practices.