Notizen und kleine Skizzen (Notes and Small Sketches) [p. 22] 

Curator: We’re looking at a page from Max Beckmann’s sketchbook, titled “Notizen und kleine Skizzen (Notes and Small Sketches) [p. 22]." It’s rendered in ink on paper, a jumble of figures and script. Editor: The overall effect is unsettling. It feels like a collection of anxieties jotted down in visual form, figures scrawled next to a list of potentially threatening factions. Curator: Absolutely. Beckmann used sketchbooks throughout his life to capture fleeting thoughts and observations. This page, dated 1922, provides insight into the turbulent sociopolitical climate of post-World War I Germany. The expressive lines embody the angst of Expressionism. Editor: The list of different political and artistic factions – Nationalists, Dadaists, Expressionists – reads as a who’s who of cultural conflict at the time. It seems Beckmann is mapping out the various power dynamics in his world. Curator: Consider how Beckmann uses symbolic imagery. The placement and orientation of each figure can represent ideas of social hierarchy or status. Look closely at the figure being labeled ‘what to do’, for instance. Editor: This page is an index to a culture war. Beckmann is a social observer; he sees and documents those competing forces. It strikes me as both politically charged and deeply personal, like he’s trying to make sense of his place within all of it. Curator: His use of line conveys much of that meaning; think of it as gestural writing in the style of symbolism. Thick, frantic strokes capture the anxiety, while lighter, fainter lines might express hope or uncertainty. Each mark is a deliberate articulation of the world around him. Editor: Looking at this makes me consider who these labels and images empowered and who they marginalized during that time. What responsibility does an artist have to capture the complexities, and potentially, contribute to social narratives through images like this one? Curator: It certainly opens that dialogue. Ultimately, “Notizen und kleine Skizzen” provides a window into the inner and outer worlds that shaped Beckmann’s artistic vision, and reflects on a wider societal struggle. Editor: It is remarkable to witness an artist grappling with the anxieties of their time through simple tools and immediate markings, revealing the potency inherent in even preliminary artistic sketches.