Beckmann Sketchbook 21 1918 - 1922

This is the cover of Max Beckmann’s Sketchbook 21, made with who-knows-what, but it really gets me thinking about the basics of artmaking. He was such a master, yet here is this simple object, a place for the raw beginnings of things. I see a surface that has been through it, the scuffs and marks showing how well used and loved it was. I love the way the dark cover feels almost velvety, while those corner gashes are like an open wound, all adding to the story. It’s just so honest and raw. It makes me think of Cy Twombly and his sketchbooks. Both artists see the sketchbook as a safe space for experimentation. Beckmann was such an incredible draughtsman, it's hard to believe that even for him, it all started with a simple mark, a line, in a humble book like this one. We can almost see his process. Like all great art, this sketchbook embraces ambiguity, inviting endless interpretations.