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The Beggars
Fine art This artwork is a lithograph titled The Beggars (Die Bettler) created by German Expressionist artist Max Beckmann in 1922. Background and Context Portfolio Origin: This piece is Plate 7 from Beckmann’s renowned eleven-part portfolio titled Trip to Berlin 1922 (Berliner Reise 1922), published by J.B. Neumann in Berlin .Social Commentary: The portfolio serves as a direct, gritty observation of daily life in Berlin during the unstable, chaotic years of the early Weimar Republic.Thematic Contrast: Beckmann juxtaposed the lives of the wealthy upper-class (who spent their time playing cards and attending theaters) with the urban poor and disabled street vendors fighting to survive.Visual Elements Central Figure: A bearded man sits tightly boxed in behind a barrel organ (or street organ), which he plays to secure tips.Surrounding Characters: He is surrounded closely by towering figures, including a visually striking man with crutches on the left and a weathered man in a bowler hat on the right, creating a characteristically claustrophobic, compressed sense of space.Background Notice: The sign on the back wall reads "Aufruf" (Appeal/Proclamation), referencing the political unrest and constant mobilization in Berlin at the time
The Beggars - Before (Poster)
Before