Pierrot and Mask (Pierrot und Maske) Possibly 1920

Max Beckmann's "Pierrot und Maske" (Pierrot and Mask) from around 1920, is a powerful black and white lithograph depicting a somber Pierrot holding a double bass, with a puppet mask in front of him. The drawing's stark lines and simplified forms are characteristic of Beckmann's Expressionist style, and the subject matter reflects the artist's own feelings of alienation and despair in the wake of World War I. This work, like many of Beckmann's pieces, explores themes of isolation and the human condition.