Akrobat in der Brücke und weitere Figur (Backbend with Onlooker) [p. 3] 

Curator: I'm struck by the fragility of this pencil drawing. It’s entitled "Akrobat in der Brücke und weitere Figur (Backbend with Onlooker) [p. 3]" by Max Beckmann. Editor: There's something unsettling in its simplicity, almost haunting. The bare minimum required to suggest figures in tension and observation, isn't it? It looks like an intimate glimpse into someone's working notebook. Curator: Yes, it is! Its materials tell a story. We see a modest pencil sketch, hastily rendered on paper; a readily available, easily transportable means for capturing immediate thoughts or observations. Editor: That’s so true. The casual medium makes you think about where this notebook went, and why Beckmann recorded these almost furtive studies of bodies under stress. Is this a prelude to a larger project? Where do acrobatics fit into his oeuvre, generally speaking? Curator: He often looked to the circus as a site of spectacle but also precarity. Here, it looks like he is more invested in the construction of the figures as unstable masses within space than an event, specifically. The way he has mapped the spatial volume occupied by these hands is striking. Editor: Thinking about the role of museums here too—I wonder, what purpose does it serve for us to frame something so ephemeral? Isn't its very charm the immediacy? Its function seems entirely changed when removed from its intended private viewing and set under museum lights. Curator: Perhaps by highlighting the labour and processes, we can demystify the "genius" of the artist and focus on their methods. The sketch embodies a unique form of work itself; and, by studying his artistic procedure, we get closer to what preoccupied the artist in his day-to-day practice. Editor: A fascinating reframing indeed! Thank you, it has changed my understanding of the work on display, and by acknowledging it’s making, the piece offers a commentary about how we come to see. Curator: Thank you, I have a greater understanding now of how an artwork and venue intersect to create ever-changing contexts.