Self-Portrait in Tuxedo 1927

Curator: Here we have Max Beckmann's *Self-Portrait in Tuxedo*. Beckmann, born in 1884, painted this piece, now residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Editor: There's an immediate sense of unease, isn't there? The stark lighting, the oddly colored face... It’s unsettling, like a mask. Curator: Indeed. Consider the context: Beckmann lived through two world wars, and this portrait reflects the anxiety of the interwar period, the fracturing of identity in a changing society. Editor: And the materiality—the thick, almost crude application of paint. It speaks to the harsh realities of his time, a deliberate rejection of refined artistic traditions. It's almost brutal in its honesty. Curator: Absolutely. Art became a vehicle to express the disarray and disillusionment of a generation. Editor: Looking at it from a materialist perspective, this isn't just pigment on canvas, it's a record of labor, of the artist wrestling with his place in a disintegrating world. Curator: A powerful interpretation. It's a window into history and a reflection of the artist's personal turmoil. Editor: Exactly. It serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of social upheaval.