Zwei Frauen (Two Women) [p. 52] 

Curator: Immediately, I’m struck by the sketchiness, the raw process on display in Max Beckmann’s drawing, "Zwei Frauen (Two Women)." The visible pencil lines and smudges are almost as important as the figures themselves. Editor: There's an unsettling intimacy here. The women are so close, almost merging. Considering Beckmann’s historical context, that post-war disillusionment, does this closeness speak to shared trauma or perhaps a struggle for identity within societal constraints? Curator: Interesting point. Looking at the work's materiality – the directness of pencil on paper, no erasing, a real immediacy in its making—highlights that unmediated thought. This wasn’t about polished representation but rather documenting a fleeting moment. It invites us to ponder the function of drawing as a crucial act in artistic practice. Editor: Precisely. Think about how women were portrayed, often idealized, during this period. Beckmann offers something else. Are we seeing defiance? Perhaps a critique of imposed feminine ideals reflected in their rather austere appearance, despite the softness of the pencil? Curator: And we can also consider how easily accessible this medium is: pencil, paper, and a hand is really all you need. Was this work, given the loose drawing style, destined for another work, perhaps a painting? The use of this ubiquitous combination implies that art making has this everydayness. Editor: This rawness might also be about vulnerability. To depict women without the gilded artifice was a radical choice, acknowledging their humanity and lived experiences. Curator: Yes, there’s an openness to interpretation precisely because of its simplicity in means. The minimal use of tools focuses our gaze onto the technique. We see this build up of marks, layered, repeated almost compulsively in certain areas, really emphasizing a material density despite the relative bareness of the image overall. Editor: So ultimately we are considering not just a study, but also how this image resonates politically, how the work refuses a traditional ideal of beauty. Beckmann is proposing new visions, even in sketch form, reflecting back at us. Curator: A really good observation about this artwork which helps me think about drawing as process with social implication. Editor: Likewise!