Weibliche Bildnisstudie (Female Portrait Study) [p. 43] 

Max Beckmann made this female portrait study with graphite on paper. The scale is intimate, a page torn from a sketchbook. The directness of graphite as a medium is deceptive; while readily available, its skilled application requires great dexterity. Look at the sureness of line in the woman's eyes and mouth. There's a remarkable economy of means, especially when you consider that Beckmann was working in the wake of World War One, with all the social and political turmoil that entailed. The work is a reminder that drawing, though seemingly simple, has always been fundamental to artistic practice, a way of processing the world in real-time. Here, the quickness of line belies the intense labor involved in perfecting one's technique. By valuing the immediacy of the sketch, we recognize how all aspects of making, not just the finished result, contribute to an artwork's significance.