Fine Art Poster
From £28
A giclée print on 200gsm matte fine art paper, using a twelve-colour process for accurate, fade-resistant colour. Supplied unframed, delivered flat or rolled.
Perseus's Last Duty - Max Beckmann
Regular price
£28.00 GBP
Sale price
£28.00 GBP
Regular price
Archival giclée
Frames arrive ready to hang
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Description
A powerful 1949 mythological work by Max Beckmann, depicting the aftermath of the Perseus and Medusa encounter with raw, expressive brushwork.
Max Beckmann painted Perseus's Last Duty in 1949, during his final years in the United States. This work reflects the artist's preoccupation with classical mythology as a vehicle for personal and existential inquiry. The composition depicts the aftermath of the hero's encounter with Medusa, yet the scene is stripped of traditional heroic grandeur. Instead, Beckmann presents a claustrophobic, interior space where the act of violence is rendered with heavy, black outlines and a jarring, non-naturalistic colour palette.
The figure of Perseus is positioned in the foreground, his back to the viewer, holding a sword. Before him sits the headless torso of the Gorgon, a stark representation of the mythic event. To the right, a circular mirror or portal contains distorted reflections of figures, adding a layer of psychological complexity to the narrative. The spatial arrangement is compressed, forcing the viewer to confront the brutality of the subject matter without the comfort of distance. Beckmann employs thick, gestural brushwork that emphasises the physical presence of the paint, a characteristic of his late style.
Throughout his career, Beckmann used mythological themes to process the trauma of the twentieth century. In this piece, the myth of Perseus is not a celebration of triumph, but a meditation on the cost of action and the inescapable nature of human conflict. The figures are rendered with a raw, angular quality that avoids idealisation. By focusing on the aftermath, the artist shifts the focus from the heroic deed to the grim reality of the consequence. This print captures the tension and the specific, dark atmosphere of Beckmann's late period, offering a direct look at his approach to the human condition through the lens of ancient narrative.
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Because every print is made to order, we don't offer change-of-mind returns, refunds or exchanges. If your order arrives faulty, damaged or incorrect, we'll replace it free of charge — just contact us within 48 hours of delivery. See our refunds page for full details.
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Manufacturing
Each print is produced to order using 12-colour giclée printing on FSC-certified archival paper. Designed in Britain and printed at your nearest production hub to reduce waste and speed up delivery.
Care and materials
Specific Features
Every Solis piece is made to order with archival, gallery-quality materials built to last.
- Museum-grade giclée printing for rich, fade-resistant colour
- Archival matte fine-art paper, FSC-certified
- Multiple sizes and framing options available
- Frames in black, natural wood, dark wood or white
- Framed prints arrive ready to hang
Care & Cleaning
To keep your artwork looking its best:
- Dust gently with a soft, dry cloth
- Avoid prolonged direct sunlight
- Never use liquid cleaners on the print or canvas surface
- Keep in a dry, room-temperature space
- Handle prints with clean, dry hands
Materials & Sizing
Museum-grade giclée on FSC-certified archival matte paper, with framed and canvas options.
- Paper sizes: A4, A3, A2, A1, A0 and B2 (50×70 cm)
- Canvas: XS (20×30 cm) to Large (60×90 cm)
- Frames: black, natural wood, dark wood or white
Complete The Look
Perseus's Last Duty - Max Beckmann
Regular price
From £28.00 GBP
Sale price
From £28.00 GBP
Regular price
Fine Art Poster / A4 (21x29.7 cm) / -
Artist Biography
Max Beckmann
Beckmann was dismissed from his teaching post in Frankfurt the day after Hitler's 1937 speech denouncing "degenerate art". He left Germany that same evening and did not return. The speed of the departure, one speech, one night, one exile, defined the rest of his life.
He was born in Leipzig in 1884 and trained at the Weimar Academy. His early work was relatively conventional; the First World War, where he served as a medical orderly, shattered both his style and his psychology. The paintings that followed, dense, allegorical, packed with symbolic figures in compressed, claustrophobic spaces, resist easy classification. His monumental triptychs, painted in exile in Amsterdam and later St Louis, combine mythology, autobiography and contemporary history.
He remains one of the twentieth century's most ambitious figurative painters, comparable in scale and intention to Picasso but less interested in formal innovation than in moral weight. He died in New York in 1950, at sixty-five.
He was born in Leipzig in 1884 and trained at the Weimar Academy. His early work was relatively conventional; the First World War, where he served as a medical orderly, shattered both his style and his psychology. The paintings that followed, dense, allegorical, packed with symbolic figures in compressed, claustrophobic spaces, resist easy classification. His monumental triptychs, painted in exile in Amsterdam and later St Louis, combine mythology, autobiography and contemporary history.
He remains one of the twentieth century's most ambitious figurative painters, comparable in scale and intention to Picasso but less interested in formal innovation than in moral weight. He died in New York in 1950, at sixty-five.
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Fine Art Framed
From £45
The same fine art print in a solid wood frame with UV-protective acrylic glaze and rigid backing. Five frame colours. Arrives ready to hang.
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