Stehender Clown (Standing Clown) [p. 11] 

Curator: Here we have a look at Max Beckmann's pencil drawing "Stehender Clown" or "Standing Clown" from his sketchbook, page 11. It's an intriguing, minimal portrait of a clown figure on lined paper. What’s your immediate response? Editor: Well, the first thing that hits me is a kind of haunted simplicity. It's like a ghost of a clown, barely there, sketched on what looks like an old notepad. The stains add to this impression—it feels aged, worn, carrying echoes of performances long past. Curator: The minimal line work is interesting, particularly when viewed through an Expressionist lens. We could read the apparent casualness as an element reflecting existential concerns. The lined paper certainly offers a structural element that juxtaposes the figure itself. Editor: Existential clown, I like that! It feels very honest, almost brutally so. He's not putting on a show, not trying to make anyone laugh. The downward gaze seems intensely personal, a quiet moment backstage, perhaps. The simplicity allows a strange vulnerability to shine through, far away from the bright lights of performance. Curator: Consider, too, how the structural elements—the horizontal lines of the notebook—intersect the vertical lines of the figure. There is a clear demarcation, an implicit visual dialogue here. And observe the pencil marks that imply dimensionality. What appears unfinished is actually complete as is. Editor: Yes, there's something powerfully evocative in its incompleteness. The sketch invites our imagination to fill in the gaps, to project our own experiences and feelings onto this figure. It's like Beckmann gives us the bare bones of an idea and lets us dress it ourselves, doesn't he? Almost unfinished but saying it all! Curator: Precisely. The Expressionist style coupled with the minimalist nature is striking. This piece challenges our understanding of form and figure and represents the beauty of preliminary processes. Thank you, this has been insightful. Editor: Thank you, always happy to talk clown souls! I think what I’ll carry away is the sense of humanity and fleeting presence captured in just a few simple lines. Beautiful, really.