Architekturstudie (Architectural Study) [p. 12] 

Max Beckmann created this architectural study with graphite on paper. The sketch presents us with a skeletal rendering of buildings, dominated by vertical lines suggesting height and rigid structure. Beckmann's deliberate incompleteness prompts a semiotic inquiry into absence and presence. The sketchy lines do not fully define the forms, which invites the viewer to participate in the act of construction. This parallels the broader modernist concerns of destabilizing fixed meanings and embracing the fragmentary nature of experience. The drawing's emphasis on linearity and form can be viewed through a structuralist lens. By reducing the architectural elements to their basic lines and shapes, Beckmann encourages us to consider the underlying structures that define our perception of space and form. These sparse architectural forms become signs, pointing not only to physical buildings but also to the conceptual frameworks that shape our understanding of the built environment. The drawing challenges fixed notions of space, and reflects the instability of meaning.