Magic Mirror (Original Title)Blatt 13 aus der Mappe „Day and Dream“ 1946

Max Beckmann made this etching, "Magic Mirror," and part of the Day and Dream portfolio, with ink on paper. I really feel for Beckmann here. Like, what's up with all these weird frames? One's leaning back, like a stage set that's about to collapse, while others are precariously balanced on a table. It’s like he's trying to show us different layers of reality, or maybe just how unstable things can be. There's a woman standing by, looking at herself in a mirror, but what is she really seeing? Is it a true reflection, or something else entirely? These are all big, open questions, not easy answers. Beckmann made a lot of prints, and like other painters, it was how they could explore ideas across time. It’s this whole conversation that artists keep having, influencing and riffing off each other, that keeps art alive, that makes art matter.