Verworfenes weibliches Gesicht (Sketch of a Woman's Face) [p. 2] 

Editor: So, this is Max Beckmann’s "Verworfenes weibliches Gesicht," which translates to "Sketch of a Woman's Face." It’s a pencil drawing. I’m immediately struck by the dynamism of the lines. It’s almost chaotic, yet the portrait still emerges. How do you interpret this work? Curator: Notice how the artist constructs the image primarily through line and not value. The varying line weights suggest an urgency, a need to capture form quickly, yet the overlay of gestural marks gives way to a more interesting spatial construct which is in itself highly fragmented. Can you see how the figure, despite being the overt subject matter, is merely a departure for explorations of spatial construction, here? Editor: I see what you mean. It's not so much about accurately depicting the woman, but using her image as a foundation for the exploration of form through the interplay of line. Does that suggest some deconstruction? Curator: Precisely. Beckmann seems more preoccupied with pushing the formal boundaries of the portrait through structural and gestural experimentations rather than crafting an illusion. The white space too, the void surrounding the form, becomes a kind of active counterpoint to the densely worked marks describing the head. What is your read of that void? Editor: It emphasizes the figure's isolation or perhaps it draws attention to the inherent incompleteness of the sketch, further highlighting the constructed nature of the image, not something natural. I was caught up with representation, and didn't see how it departs from conventional portrayals! Curator: Exactly. By avoiding illusion, Beckmann foregrounds the materiality of the medium. So, in your experience with it, can materiality speak like semiotics does, and could it be representative of a thing like how it could simply 'be' itself, as a plane or line? Editor: Definitely! That's given me so much to consider when looking at seemingly simple sketches!