Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony 1937

Max Beckmann made this "Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony" in oil on canvas, and it's a wild ride of bold, dark outlines and flat planes of color. It feels like he’s wrestling with the canvas, trying to pin down these figures that just won’t stay put. Look at the central panel, at that figure chained to the floor. The paint is thick, almost sculptural, especially around the face and hands. You can practically feel the weight of the oil, like Beckmann was trying to sculpt the torment right onto the canvas. The colors are so saturated, it feels like everything is vibrating. Beckmann's got this way of using color and line to create a sense of claustrophobia, but also a kind of raw honesty. His work always makes me think of Ensor, with that same love of the grotesque, but Beckmann brings this very modern, existential angst to the party. It’s not pretty, but it's definitely real.