Zuschauer (At a Show) [p. 5] 

Curator: This drawing is entitled "Zuschauer (At a Show) [p. 5]", rendered in pencil by Max Beckmann. Editor: There's an almost suffocating sense of tension in this piece. The faces seem cramped, pressed together—almost as if the air is being sucked out of the room. Curator: Beckmann's exploration of figuration through the lens of Expressionism is deeply rooted in his observations of early 20th-century German society. Here, you feel like a voyeur peering into the collective unconscious of an audience, perhaps at a theatrical performance. Editor: Absolutely, it's that uncomfortable proximity and shared vulnerability laid bare. I wonder, what is this “show”? What is so captivating and worth recording for the ages about these people's gazes and experience? It gives me ideas around the gaze, in its power dynamics, and what being seen truly means in today's culture. Curator: And what narratives and intersectional social commentaries are made when someone feels forced into being on show? The expressions are blank canvases reflecting not only the performance onstage but the internal dramas playing out within each individual viewer, no? Editor: I think the framing emphasizes how passively receptive these spectators are, and it can lead to interesting critiques regarding societal roles for genders during this time period and what social pressures were implied for them at "the show". Curator: Yes, the "performance" might be more a show for them and their forced performativity. And it’s important to acknowledge Beckmann's own position within the institutional art world of his time, benefiting from certain privileges while also grappling with societal anxieties. Editor: Agreed. This quick pencil sketch sparks so many crucial discussions about how identity is created through viewing practices! The act of looking is never a neutral one. Curator: Never neutral, no. So well captured here and ripe for examination still. Editor: Indeed, food for thought... and further research.