The Merry-Go-Round c. 20th century

Editor: This is Max Beckmann’s "The Merry-Go-Round" from Harvard Art Museums. I’m struck by how the thick lines almost feel like they are trapping the figures. What can you tell me about this work? Curator: Let's consider the means of production; the stark, graphic nature, likely a woodcut or lithograph, speaks to a broader accessibility. How might the process of printmaking, with its inherent reproducibility, affect our understanding of the artwork’s value and dissemination in society? Editor: That’s interesting. I never thought about the accessibility of the art itself as part of its meaning. Curator: Exactly! And how does that choice of material and method challenge traditional notions of high art by blurring lines with craft and mass production? Editor: I see. I'll definitely be thinking about materials and processes more closely from now on. Curator: It's a different way to examine art, and can speak volumes about social context.