In “Self-Portrait with Horn”, a very lonely man stares out of the canvas. The man does not look at himself in the mirror. He does not look at the audience which stares back at him. Instead, he glances off into the distance. It is possible that his gaze follows the sound of a horn call, which he has just sent out like a message. A message to whom? That remains unknown but he seems to listen for a distant echo. But there is no response, only a great silence. He is searching for answers that he cannot seem to find. A sense of melancholy fills the portrait. It makes anyone wonder why the man is filled with such sadness and such bitterness. His audience, anyone who has experienced an unhappy moment, can relate to the expressions of this man. His eyes are piercing as they stare out into the unknown and the unwanted. Every individual is vulnerable and this portrait demonstrates this feeling.
Ken Johnson, who analyzed Max Beckmann’s “Self portrait with Horn”, thoroughly describes the painting techniques Beckmann used when creating this portrait. Immediately after reading the first paragraph, any reader can gather that Johnson is in favor of Beckmann’s work. In addition, Johnson provides the reader with background information on why Beckmann painted such a melancholy self-portrait of himself. As a result, this makes the reader (for example- me) understand why the painting is filled with sadness. This was during a time in the artist’s life when he was fleeing Germany. Johnson also explains that Beckmann revised the painting three times before actually completely finishing the portrait.
No comments:
Post a Comment