Frau im Profil (Woman in Profile) [p. 21] 

Max Beckmann sketched 'Frau im Profil' with pencil on paper. The woman's serene profile, framed by soft, loosely defined lines, evokes a sense of quiet contemplation. The composition's simplicity focuses our attention on the interplay between line and form. Beckmann, known for his involvement with expressionism, uses line here to articulate not just physical appearance but also a psychological state. The sketch destabilizes the traditional portrait, inviting us to explore the woman's inner world through the subtlest of visual cues. Is she lost in thought? What does this structural exercise express about the sitter? Notice how the economy of line and the incomplete rendering challenge fixed meanings, allowing for multiple interpretations. The artwork functions as a site for contemplating the relationship between external representation and internal experience, encouraging us to engage with art as an ongoing process of meaning-making.