Portrait of Zeretelli II
Max Beckmann
Description
March 28, 2009
This lithograph shows Beckmann at the peak of his printmaking skills. Always concerned with the representation of volume and mass in space, he achieves the desired effect here with delicate shading and a few fine lines, revealing his mastery of lithography. Nikolai Zeretelli (also Tseretelli) was a Georgian actor who toured Europe with numerous modernist theatre productions in the twenties. Judging from the sly, sideways glance and the warm, wry smile that Max Beckmann gives the actor in this portrait, the artist must have found Zeretelli an intriguing character. Of the 374 prints that he created throughout his life, one third come from the brief period between 1922 and 1923.
Subject Matter:
Nikolai Zeretelli (also Tseretelli) was a Georgian actor who toured Europe with numerous modernist theatre productions in the twenties. Judging from the sly, sideways glance and the warm, wry smile that Max Beckmann gives the actor in this portrait, the artist must have found Zeretelli an intriguing character.
This lithograph shows Beckmann at the peak of his printmaking skills. Of the 374 prints that he created throughout his life, one third come from the brief period between 1922 and 1923. Always concerned with the representation of volume and mass in space, he achieves the desired effect here with delicate shading and a few fine lines that reveal his mastery of lithography.
Physical Description:
Print featuring the head of a Caucasian man with short dark hair. Text written along a diagonal in lower right.
Usage Rights:
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