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The Faces (Die Gesichter)

Happy New Year 1917

1917
(German, 1884–1950)
Germany, 20th century
drypoint
Sheet: 29.8 x 37 cm (11 3/4 x 14 9/16 in.); Plate: 24.2 x 29.8 cm (9 1/2 x 11 3/4 in.)
Gift of The Print Club of Cleveland 1975.53
Catalogue raisonné: Hofmaier 108
State: V/V
Location: not on view
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Description

This closely packed image portrays a mix of people at a holiday party. A skeleton-like war veteran with a patched eye is just one of several inebriated patrons whose celebration of a new year, Beckmann implies, is pure folly. The artist often worked in drypoint, a method of directly scratching a plate to create an image that, when inked, retains a velvety burr around the lines. The technique allowed him to work spontaneously, similar to sketching with a pen on paper.
Happy New Year 1917

Happy New Year 1917

1917

Max Beckmann

(German, 1884–1950)
Germany, 20th century

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