drei Personen im Café (Three Figures in a Café) [p. 25] 

Curator: Let’s turn our attention to “Three Figures in a Café”, a pencil drawing by Max Beckmann. It appears to be a page torn from a sketchbook. What strikes you first? Editor: The visible, frantic process. I see a layered approach: the light pencil markings, revisions, erasures...almost like an archaeological dig into thought itself, right? I'm really drawn to the immediacy of the piece. Curator: Absolutely, the sketch quality imbues it with raw energy. Notice how even in these early marks, the figures seem almost burdened, caught in some invisible tension. It echoes typical German Expressionist themes of alienation. The hat, too, holds a prominent space in the composition. What symbolic reading would you assign it? Editor: Well, the large, floppy hat on the central figure – obscuring part of the face. That might suggest hidden social strata or perhaps economic circumstances forcing concealment? You know, the materials themselves can inform us. Inexpensive paper, a common pencil… this suggests it was created amidst practical and economic constraints. It wasn't meant for "high art", maybe only a preliminary study. Curator: Perhaps, but I lean towards psychological layers. The hat may signify a self-imposed barrier, an intentional disguise related to social performance, fitting with the cafe setting and the act of people-watching. Even unfinished, it's imbued with social anxieties of the time. How do you think the medium amplifies the mood? Editor: The deliberate use of such humble tools makes it accessible. By using what’s easily obtained, Beckmann pulls back the curtain on bourgeois existence, laying bare something authentic and vulnerable, while ironically portraying a space known for leisure and luxury. It underscores the materiality of everyday experience. Curator: An intriguing intersection. Ultimately, I think this unassuming sketch holds a potent glimpse into Beckmann’s visual thinking, and societal pressures shaping human interactions at the time. Editor: And from a maker’s perspective, it emphasizes how accessible creativity can be, finding meaning even in the simplest tools.