Drei Skizzen und Notizen (Three Sketches with Notations) [p. 18] 1914 - 1915

This page of sketches was made by Max Beckmann, probably with ink, in no particular year. Here, he’s tossing ideas around, a way of thinking on paper, or maybe just warming up. I love how the marks are so raw, not fussed over. The pen just zips across the page, trying to pin down a thought. You can see where he changes his mind, reinforces a line, or just lets the pen wander. It's like he's trying to catch something fleeting, a gesture, a mood, before it disappears. Look at the bottom sketch. The lines are scratchy, the figures compressed, chaotic, but it kinda works, right? It's all about the energy of the mark, not perfection. I think he would have enjoyed the work of someone like Cy Twombly, who also seemed to be about the beauty of a quick response and intuitive process. Art is an open conversation between artists! It never pretends to be settled and done.