Skizze mit zwei Figuren (Sketch with Two Figures) [p. 12] 

Editor: So, here we have Max Beckmann's "Skizze mit zwei Figuren," a sketch in pen and ink, likely from his sketchbook. The figures are so entangled and abstracted; it's difficult to decipher any specific narrative. What do you see in this piece? Curator: Immediately, I’m drawn to the chaos, which speaks volumes given the time this was likely created. Does the war cast its shadow, wouldn't you agree? The density of the lines feels almost suffocating. Beckmann, throughout his career, employed symbols laden with meaning. The claustrophobic feeling, the jumbled forms... It speaks of entrapment, perhaps a commentary on the state of humanity at the time. Notice the expressive use of line – frenetic, unsure. Editor: Entrapment, yes, that resonates. I was focusing on the figures themselves and trying to figure out their relationship. But you're right; the feeling transcends any specific interaction between them. So the symbols aren't literal, but atmospheric? Curator: Precisely. While specific objects may have recurring meanings in his broader oeuvre, here the feeling *is* the symbol. Do you find a sense of disorientation looking at it? Beckmann was deeply affected by the world around him and externalized those experiences in a way to where one begins to recognize the psychology in the moment it was made, don't you agree? Editor: I do. It is disorienting, and definitely unnerving. I came in expecting to analyze the 'what,' but I’m leaving thinking more about the 'why' he made it. Curator: Art serves as a vessel, carrying cultural and emotional memories across time. Editor: I’ll certainly look at sketches differently now. There's intention even in apparent disorder.