verworfenes weibliches Gesicht (Discarded Female Face) [p. 80] 

Curator: Today we're looking at a drawing by Max Beckmann titled "Verworfenes weibliches Gesicht," or "Discarded Female Face." It’s number 80 from one of his sketchbooks. Editor: Right, it leaps off the page with this raw energy—a fleeting impression. All sharp angles and blurred lines, as if she’s mid-thought or about to vanish. It almost feels like the face is fighting against its own erasure. Curator: The immediacy you perceive comes directly from the material. It's primarily executed in pencil. Look closely and you'll notice the rapid, almost frenetic application of the medium. The marks aren't about precise representation; instead, they're structural and emotive. Editor: Absolutely! There's an urgency to the strokes. You know, it’s funny, the title implies it's "discarded," but I find it incredibly potent. This isn't about capturing beauty in a conventional sense. It’s digging into something deeper, a struggle, an intensity, using distortion and suggestion rather than perfection. Curator: Note the way the composition isolates the subject. The empty space amplifies the feeling of psychological intensity. Beckmann often used stark lines and distortions in his figuration, especially within his portraits, to explore complex psychological states. His Expressionist inclinations really surface here. Editor: Exactly, that expressive weight lands perfectly. There is a certain vulnerability, too. I feel this almost defiant sadness coming off this seemingly fleeting sketch. Beckmann often captures that perfect, unresolved chord of the human condition, and does it within a page of throwaway sketch. Curator: Precisely. The incompleteness pushes it beyond mere likeness and nudges us toward a more profound, universal meditation on fragility and existence. Editor: For me, the piece shows art’s magic trick; capturing such profound depths from something quick, dark, and simple is strangely hopeful. It's about making the discarded unforgettable.