Space, and space again, is the infinite deity which surrounds us and in which we are ourselves contained.
Max BeckmannHeight, width, and depth are the three phenomena which I must transfer into one plane to form the abstract surface of the picture, and thus to protect myself from the infinity of space.
Max BeckmannWhat are you? What am I? Those are the questions that constantly persecute and torment me and perhaps also play some part in my art.
Max BeckmannWe will enjoy ourselves with the forms that are given us: a human face, a hand, the breast of a woman or the body of a man, a glad or sorrowful expression, the infinite seas, the wild rocks, the melancholy language of the black trees in the snow, the wild strength of spring flowers and the heavy lethargy of a hot summer day when Pan, our old friend, sleeps and the ghosts of midday whisper. This alone is enough to make us forget the grief of the world, or to give it form.
Max Beckmann