Entwurf zu "Abstürzender" (Sketch for "Falling Man") [p. 50] 1944 - 1949

This is Max Beckmann’s sketch for "Falling Man", made with pencil on paper. You can see how Beckmann is working out his ideas, wrestling with the composition. It's all there in the push and pull of the marks. The lines are raw and energetic, almost violent, like he's trying to capture a fleeting moment. There's a real sense of urgency. Look at how the figure is contorted, limbs akimbo, caught in a moment of utter chaos. The lines form a cage around him, a sense of claustrophobia. It feels like a nightmare, a world turned upside down. The whole thing is a study in disorientation. Beckmann's sketch reminds me a little of Goya's dark visions, that same sense of unease, of humanity pushed to its limits. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be pretty, it can be a mirror to the darker parts of ourselves and of the world around us.