The Buck (Der Bock)
1946
Image not available — this artwork is under copyright
View on museum website →Medium
lithograph in black
Dimensions
sheet: 40 x 30 cm (15 3/4 x 11 13/16 in.)
Classification
Portfolio
Department
CG-W
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mrs. Max Beckmann
Accession Number
1984.64.76
Art Historical Context
**The Buck (Der Bock)** a striking 1946 lithograph by Max Beckmann, captures the German Expressionist's intense post-World War II vision. Created just after the conflict's end, when Beckmann had fled Nazi persecution and lived in exile in Amsterdam before emigrating to the United States this black-ink print on a modest 40 x 30 cm sheet reflects his signature style: distorted forms, angular lines, and symbolic depth. Beckmann, a leading figure in German Expressionism, often infused works with themes of human struggle, isolation, and existential angst, making this piece a poignant artifact of hi...
About the Artist
Max Beckmann
Max Carl Friedrich Beckmann (1884-1950) stands as one of the most significant German painters of the twentieth century, a complex artist who bridged Expressionism and the New Objectivity while forging a deeply personal visual language. Born in Leipzig into a middle-class family, Beckmann's artistic journey spanned from academic classicism through the traumatic crucible of World War I to a mature s...