Self-Portrait in Bowler Hat 1921

Max Beckmann made this self-portrait in bowler hat, using drypoint on paper, and it's like he’s staring right through you, isn't it? The lines are so scratchy and immediate, you can almost feel the metal tool digging into the plate. Look at the way he renders his face – all these nervous, crisscrossing lines that somehow build up this incredibly solid, yet also vulnerable, presence. It's like he's building his own image, line by line, trying to pin down something essential about himself. I'm really drawn to the area around his eyes. The lines are so tight and concentrated there, giving him this intense, piercing gaze. And then, the way he's holding his hands – they seem both relaxed and tense, like he's trying to hold onto something, or maybe let it go. It makes me think of some of Picasso's starker, more existential portraits. It's all about that raw, unflinching look at the self, isn't it? Art as a mirror, reflecting back not just what we look like, but who we are, or who we're trying to be.