Drei Studienköpfe (Study of Three Heads) p. 35] 

Editor: Here we have Max Beckmann's pencil drawing, "Study of Three Heads." The lines are so simple, almost child-like, yet they capture a range of emotions, particularly in the eyes, which are all closed. What do you see in this work, focusing on Beckmann's technique? Curator: It is the very sparseness of line that commands our attention. Notice how Beckmann isolates essential features with minimal contour. Each head presents a unique structural problem, resolved through subtly varied strokes and pressure. The closed eyes are less about emotion than formal investigation, I think. Consider how line weight defines the planes of the faces, especially in the profile view, creating depth and shadow where, realistically, only a single line exists. Editor: So it's about how the lines function in and of themselves rather than representing emotional states? I see your point, the contour lines *are* doing all the work. The profile almost feels like a geometry study. Curator: Precisely. It's the interplay of positive and negative space, the structural integrity achieved through minimal means, that engages us. Are the angles in one sketch more obtuse than the angles of the next? How does that vary our visual interpretation? He’s dissecting form using the simplest visual vocabulary. Editor: That's fascinating, I was immediately drawn to their presumed emotions but now I realize it is more about the formal rendering and geometrical interplay, not just "Expressionism" on its face. I see so much more than I initially realized! Curator: And sometimes what seems like raw emotion is a formal choice. A carefully constructed reality that starts with visual design, doesn’t it?