Meeresstudie (Seascape) [p. 41] 

Curator: This is "Meeresstudie (Seascape) [p. 41]", a pencil drawing on paper attributed to Max Beckmann. Editor: My first thought is...ethereal. Ghostly, even. The lines are so faint, it feels like a memory of a seascape rather than a concrete depiction. Curator: That's interesting. Looking at it, particularly in the context of Beckmann’s other works, it may seem understated but still poignant. While difficult to pinpoint the exact date of creation, the fragility of the lines speaks volumes about the ephemeral nature of human experience and the relentless power of the sea. Editor: Absolutely. I immediately latch onto that contrast - a subject as expansive and forceful as the ocean being rendered with such delicate strokes. The emptiness of the page becomes almost overwhelming, doesn't it? Considering gendered expectations in landscape painting, it almost appears defiant. Curator: I agree. And looking at it more closely, the negative space could be argued as equally powerful. The historical moment, particularly after the First World War, undoubtedly seeped into the artists’s rendering of even seemingly neutral subjects like the sea. Societal anxieties surrounding power, the shifting sands of change are captured, no pun intended. Editor: Do you see something about the material use suggesting resistance to traditional ideas of landscape? I'm just seeing that with the way the pencil has been layered that is compelling from my perspective. It hints at the struggle to grasp and represent something so vast. Curator: That's a powerful reading of it. While a preliminary work, or perhaps part of a sketchbook, it captures not only the physicality of the ocean but also an intangible experience - and maybe the historical shift, too. Editor: It’s a beautiful demonstration of how something so quiet can still carry such a weighty narrative, and really encourage re-evaluations on who creates, views and consumes art. Curator: Indeed. This seemingly simple seascape encourages reflection on both the environment and the socio-political times.