Max Beckmann - The Power of Symbolic Commentary

Max Beckmann, Temptation - 1936-37 - Oil on canvas - triptych, center panel 78 3/4 X 67" - side panels each 85 X 39 3/8" - Bayerische Staatsgemaldesammlungen, Munich (click photo for larger image)

One of the most important German artists of the 20th century--Max Beckmann (1884-1950) was a painter, draughtsman, printmaker and teacher. Like many of his contemporaries, Beckmann was initially influenced by traditional styles in art. However, during WWI he rejected classical rules, in favor of a more expressive objective art--known as “the New Objectivity”. Beckmann was persecuted by the Nazis in the 1930s but continued to work. Among his most celebrated works are his secular triptychs of the late 1930s and the 1940s. For some critical text on the painting featured here, click here...