Vier Figuren (Four Figures) [p. 8] 

Max Beckmann created this sketch of four figures with graphite on paper; it is a study within a larger sketchbook. Beckmann was German, and the figures here relate to his wider artistic project of responding to the turbulent social and political conditions of Germany in the first half of the twentieth century. Beckmann's work is characterized by his unflinching look at the chaos and alienation of modern life. The sketch is not dated, but we can assume that it was made around the time that the artist was associated with the New Objectivity movement, which sought to capture the disillusionment and moral ambiguity of the post-World War I period. These figures floating on the page may represent the trauma and dehumanization that Beckmann saw all around him. The artist became deeply critical of the institutions that failed to prevent conflict and the rise of extremism. As art historians, our task is to reconstruct this context, using sources such as letters, exhibition reviews, and social theory. In this way, we can understand how art is never separate from the social forces that shape it.