Max Beckmann and the Self

by Wendy Beckett, Max Beckmann

As original as he was prolific, German artist Max Beckmann produced nearly a thousand works in a career that spanned two world wars. This beautifully produced volume uses Beckmann’s own words as an introduction to the artist’s creative expression and his unwavering search for the self. Beckmann struggled throughout his life to define his identity through his paintings. He started out as an ambitious and self-confident young artist, went through a horrific stint as a medical orderly in World War I, and then became an exile in Holland and the United States. Through her careful analyses of more than fifty works, Sister Wendy illuminates Beckmann’s use of symbolism as well as the strong thematic strains of his paintings and triptychs. The artist’s bold use of color and line are in brilliant evidence in numerous full-color reproductions, and an extensive biography as well as several photographs offer additional insight into this strong creative presence who never failed to challenge himself or his audience with his art.

Genres: Art, Germany, Art History

119 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

Sister Wendy Beckett was a South African-born British art expert, Roman Catholic nun, and contemplative hermit who became an unlikely celebrity during the 1990s, presenting a series of acclaimed art history documentaries for the BBC.

Reviews

[Bertrand · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 is generous. The book gets a whole free star for its abundant colour illustrations. The 33 end-notes refer one and all to Max Beckmann: A Retrospective, which you would better employ your time reading, were it not long out of print and indecently priced online. Here celebrity commentator Sister Wendy is freestyling on a few quotes and select paintings. The focus on self-portraiture, evidently a core concern of Beckmann, could have been interesting. Unfortunately the interpretation is conducted in the idiom of pop-jungianism, whose chief achievement is to combine mock-scientism with mock-religiosity.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unusual book. As the title implies, it focuses almost exclusively on paintings Beckmann made of himself: either self-portraits or paintings in which he includes himself as an alter ego. I would have preferred that the narrative include analysis of Beckmann’s technique, instead of the pseudo-psychological analysis that the author uses heavily. (I found myself regularly disagreeing with her interpretations.) But the writing aside, I was impressed that the book included so many full-color reproductions of the artist’s work—most books in this affordable paperback format seem to be primarily in black and white, with only occasional color.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

4,5 ster voor de schilderijen, helaas slechts 2,5 ster voor het schrijfwerk. En aangezien het een boek is, telt het laatste. Dan maar wel naar boven afgerond.