Einblick in ein Gewölbe (View into a Cellar) [p. 5] 

Max Beckmann sketched "View into a Cellar" with pencil on paper in 1933. The drawing presents us with a series of arches, suggesting depth and enclosure. Arches have long been associated with concepts of transition, passage, and threshold, like Roman triumphal arches, symbols of victory and power. Beckmann's arches, however, appear less triumphant, more like the entrance to a subterranean world. Throughout history, caves and cellars have often been used as symbols of the unconscious mind. Think of Plato’s Cave allegory, a metaphor for human perception. The cellar in Beckmann’s drawing may evoke feelings of entombment, calling to mind the catacombs of Rome, where early Christians found refuge and buried their dead. This subterranean space can represent both safety and confinement. The arches, then, could signify the layers of the human psyche, each level leading deeper into the self, towards understanding or perhaps towards greater obscurity. The image’s emotional weight pulls us into the depths of human experience, where the boundaries between past and present blur, reminding us that symbols constantly evolve, reflecting our deepest fears and hopes.