Akrobat in der Brücke (Backbend) [p. 5] 

Editor: This is Max Beckmann's sketch "Akrobat in der Brücke (Backbend) [p. 5]". It's a drawing, and the simple lines almost give it the feeling of something from a dream, something fleeting and not quite concrete. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It strikes me as a glimpse into the artist's process, something incredibly private being made public. Looking at Beckmann through a historical lens, this sketchbook drawing speaks to the performative aspects of identity in the Weimar Republic. Editor: Performative identity? Could you elaborate on that? Curator: Think about the societal pressures of the time—the push for radical self-expression clashed with the constraints imposed by traditional societal structures and economic realities after WWI. Artists like Beckmann were grappling with these tensions. Do you see how the contorted body of the acrobat might symbolize this struggle? Editor: That’s interesting. The awkwardness of the pose, maybe the precariousness of the bridge, could definitely speak to the instability of the time. Almost like the artist capturing anxieties about a world changing too fast. Curator: Precisely! And consider the role of the artist themselves within that shifting landscape. The pressure to create, to represent, to make sense of chaos—the artist is almost performing for the public, reflecting their concerns back at them, in a very literal "backbend" to be visible. What do you think that pressure did to artists? Editor: I can see how revealing something so personal, like this sketchbook page, after it being hidden, makes us think differently about his public-facing artworks. The artist might reveal some anxieties. Curator: Precisely! I will consider that next time I go see an exhibition of Beckmann’s works!