Self-Portrait as a Nurse 1915

Max Beckmann painted this self-portrait as a nurse in 1915, probably in oil. The marks are put down with confidence, but there is a struggle here too. The process is exposed, the artist is searching. There is this palpable sense of unease, right? The face is all yellows and greens, like he's sick, and the red cross on the stark white patch of his uniform really jumps out. Beckmann isn't romanticizing anything. The paint's not super thick, but you can see the brushstrokes, especially in the background, which gives a real sense of texture. Look at how the light hits his forehead and cheekbones, how the paint kinda globs up, it's like he's trying to carve his face out of the canvas. You know who this reminds me of? Maybe not stylistically, but in terms of that raw, unflinching honesty? Paula Modersohn-Becker. Both artists weren't afraid to show the messy, complicated reality of being human. Art's about exploring, questioning, not just giving easy answers, right?