Battenbergs 1916

Editor: Here we have Max Beckmann's 1916 etching, "Battenbergs." It strikes me as incredibly tense – the harsh lines and the figures' expressions create a palpable sense of anxiety. What can you tell me about this piece? Curator: The striking angularity in this etching screams about the social unrest percolating during its production. Look at the etched lines. They weren't just representing figures; they're biting, corrosive, reflecting the intense, even brutal labor involved in the printmaking process itself. Do you see how the etching needle seems to carve away at any romantic notion of the subjects, exposing something rawer? Editor: Yes, absolutely. The lines around the older figure are so much harsher than the lines forming the younger one's face. What accounts for such deliberate technique and is "Battenbergs" referencing specific individuals, maybe? Curator: While the specific identities are perhaps secondary, I see "Battenbergs" speaking to a system. Beckmann, working within the turmoil of World War I, perhaps critiqued the machinery of power and its effect on the individual. Is the female figure, her youth vulnerable to the harsh realities represented by the man, emblematic of how conflict touches everyone, deforming our very modes of perception? What raw materials went into its construction, and more importantly, what systems and values were consumed in its creation? Editor: So, even through the lens of a seemingly simple portrait, Beckmann is commenting on larger socio-political forces? I'd initially missed that because it just appeared to be a simple character study, but you’re right; this printmaking process feels particularly poignant in its reflections on materiality and context. Curator: Precisely. He leverages the laborious method of etching as an almost allegorical enactment of the corrosive effects of the time itself, suggesting the true subject isn't simply these figures, but a ravaged cultural landscape.