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.
The Duchess: Illustration for Chapter Four - 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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Made to order
Description
A striking drypoint print by Max Beckmann, featuring a dense, expressive composition of figures from his 1922 illustrations for 'Die Fürstin'.
This drypoint print by Max Beckmann belongs to a series of illustrations created for the literary work 'Die Fürstin' (The Duchess), written by Kasimir Edschmid. Produced in 1922, the work captures the sharp, angular aesthetic characteristic of Beckmann's graphic output during the Weimar period. The composition features a cluster of figures, their faces pressed into a tight, overlapping arrangement that creates a sense of psychological tension and claustrophobia.
Beckmann employs a calligraphic line quality, using the drypoint needle to create burr-heavy, expressive marks that define the facial features and shadows. The figures are rendered with a deliberate lack of spatial depth, pushing the subjects to the foreground and forcing an immediate confrontation with the viewer. The woman at the centre, presumably the titular duchess, possesses a stern, piercing gaze, while the surrounding figures appear as fragmented observers or participants in a private, perhaps unsettling, narrative. The stark contrast between the black ink and the white paper surface heightens the dramatic quality of the scene.
As a practitioner of German Expressionism, Beckmann often used the human figure to explore themes of alienation, social anxiety, and the complexities of human interaction. This print demonstrates his ability to distil complex emotional states into a minimal, graphic format. The lack of background detail ensures that the focus remains entirely on the expressions and the physical proximity of the characters. This piece is an example of the artist's mastery of printmaking, where the physical resistance of the metal plate informs the final, jagged energy of the image. It remains a compelling study of character and composition, reflecting the artist's interest in the darker, more introspective aspects of the human condition during the early twentieth century.
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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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We ship worldwide, printing at the production hub nearest to your delivery address. Delivery times and costs vary by destination — you'll see the options available to you at checkout.
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
The Duchess: Illustration for Chapter Four - 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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