Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery 1917

Max Beckmann painted ‘Christ and the Woman Taken in Adultery’ with oils, building the scene through these rough, dark outlines that define each figure. The earthy palette gives the whole piece a kind of somber, theatrical feel, like a stage set for a heavy drama. For Beckmann, painting wasn't just about depicting a scene, it was about wrestling with the materials, letting the process guide the way. Look closely, and you'll see the way he's layered the paint, thick in some spots, almost scraped away in others. The texture adds so much to the emotional weight of the piece. Take that figure on the right, with the dark eye covering, see how those bold lines almost vibrate with tension? It's like Beckmann is using the paint itself to convey the inner turmoil of the scene. Beckmann’s confrontational style and use of stark, unmodulated color planes reminds me of some of Kirchner’s street scenes. But ultimately, with Beckmann, it’s more about the questions than the answers.