Oskar Leifer’s Worldview 1920
maxbeckmann
stadelmuseum
drawing, paper
17_20th-century
drawing
comic strip sketch
imaginative character sketch
junji ito style
cartoon sketch
paper
personal sketchbook
german
idea generation sketch
ink drawing experimentation
sketch
sketchbook drawing
storyboard and sketchbook work
sketchbook art
"Oskar Leifer’s Worldview" is a pencil drawing by German Expressionist painter Max Beckmann from 1920. The drawing depicts two figures, with the one on the left seeming to be speaking animatedly, possibly to the figure on the right. This drawing is a preliminary study for Beckmann’s large-scale oil painting, "The Night", which was completed in 1918-19, and is currently on display at the Städel Museum. Beckmann used this sketch to explore composition and figure relations for the larger painting, which is considered to be a significant piece of German Expressionism.
Comments
Beckmann was in the habit of carrying a notebook, pad of paper or exercise book with him to record his everyday observations. Depending on the format – horizontal or vertical – demanded by the motif, the artist turned his sketchbook this way or that without regard for the printed lines. On four sheets dating from 1920 (Inv. No. SG 2981, SG 2982, SG 2983, SG 2989), he sketched scenes of funfairs and variety shows. He depicted the throng and the exaggerated gestures and facial expressions of the artists, boxers and spectators. In his own words, he was a “hunter of individualities” seeking to capture the “great orchestra of humanity”.
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