Interieur met drie generaties van een familie 1918 - 1919

Max Beckmann made this print of a family interior using drypoint. The drypoint technique is all about the burr created when a needle scratches directly into the plate, and here, you can see how he uses it to create these velvety blacks and greys. There’s a lot of tonal variation within that restricted palette, and that's what gives the print its power. Look at the way he renders the faces of the three generations depicted, from the dark shadows of the eyes, to the wrinkled skin. There is something about the rawness of the drypoint line that lends itself to the depiction of human subjects, their vulnerability and imperfections. Beckmann knew how to use accidents to his advantage. In fact, there's a kind of controlled chaos in this print, a dance between intention and chance that echoes the unpredictable nature of family life itself. You can see similar things in the work of artists like Kathe Kollwitz. In the end, art’s about the ongoing conversation, right?