Paper

Student Artwork Guide

Departure

Max Beckmann, 1935

Name Class Date
Max Beckmann, Departure (1935). Public domain. See this canvas under a moving light: the drawing, the true colour under the varnish, the bare pigment

The facts

Artist
Max Beckmann wahooart.com/en/artists/max-beckmann/
Artist’s dates
1884 – 1950
Painted
1935
Movement
Expressionism Colour and shape deliberately distorted so the picture shows an emotion rather than a likeness.

Copyright This work is in the public domain. Max Beckmann died in 1950; copyright lasts 70 years after the artist’s death, so it ended in 2020.

Source: WahooArt.com — accessed Oct. 8, 2026

Departure — Max Beckmann Part 1 · The artwork

In context

Departure — Max Beckmann

When was this painted?

  1. 1880
  2. 1890
  3. 1900
  4. 1910
  5. 1920
  6. 1930
  7. 1940
  8. 1950

Row above: the years. Row below: how old the artist was at the start and at the end of each span — 0 at birth, 66 at death.

Painted when the artist was 51. The artist lived to 66. 40 of the 81 dated works by this artist in our catalogue came earlier.

Shaded: the lifetime of Max Beckmann (1884–1950) ▲ this work, 1935 every dated painting, decade by decade

First works: up to 1925 Main working years: 1925–1944 Late works: from 1944

Those three bands split the works this catalogue has a date for into a first quarter, a middle half and a last quarter. They are not the artist’s complete output: a thin stretch may be a gap in the record rather than a quiet spell. The same years with the artist’s life laid along them

Compare with

Pick one work above: name two things it shares with this one, and one thing that's different.

More works to set beside this one: wahooart.com/en/art/similar/max-beckmann-departure-8XYK3J-en/

Colours

Measured from the image

    Main colour

    Phthalo Green #2f1e1d

    Catalogued palette

    • #2F1E1D
    • #25759D
    • #915C46
    • #B6B8B9

    These colours inside the artist’s whole palette Find other paintings by colour

    Palette
    Earthy The dominant colour family in the image.
    Main colour name
    Phthalo Green
    Intensity
    Balanced How saturated and varied the colours are, from a single toned-down hue to many bright ones.
    Contrast
    Statement How much the colours differ in lightness and saturation across the picture.
    Harmony
    Softly Mixed Palette How well the colours work together, from clashing to fully unified.
    Brightness
    Shadow How light or dark the picture reads overall, from deep shadow to bright highlight.
    Saturation
    Balanced Soft How pure and strong the colours are, from near-grey to fully vivid.

    Where in the world is this painting looked at?

    • under 1%
    • 1–3%
    • 3–8%
    • 8–20%
    • 20% and over
    This painting alone has too few recorded visitors to map, so the plate reads every work by Max Beckmann over the last twelve months — 49 countries in all. Where these figures come from

    The ten leading countries

    1. 1 China 26.0%6,100 visits
    2. 2 United States of America 10.2%2,400 visits
    3. 3 France 6.8%1,600 visits
    4. 4 Germany 5.5%1,300 visits
    5. 5 Spain 5.5%1,300 visits
    6. 6 Argentina 3.4%800 visits
    7. 7 United Kingdom 3.4%800 visits
    8. 8 Italy 3.4%800 visits
    9. 9 Colombia 3.0%700 visits
    10. 10 Hong Kong 3.0%700 visits
    11. · 39 other countries 29.8%7,000 visits

    Find the three darkest countries on the map. Is the museum that keeps this painting in any of them? Write down one reason people far away might look at it.

    The 20 most looked-at works by Max Beckmann

    1. 1 The Night, 1919 51.2%18,700 visits
    2. 2 The Iron Bridge (View of Frankfurt), 1922 9.6%3,500 visits
    3. 3 Great Scene of Agony, 1906 3.8%1,400 visits
    4. 4 Columbine, 1950 1.6%600 visits
    5. 5 The actors, 1942 1.6%600 visits
    6. 6 Odysseus and Calypso, 1943 1.6%600 visits
    7. 7 Self Portrait with a Bucket Hat, 1921 1.6%600 visits
    8. 8 Rugby players, 1929 1.4%500 visits
    9. 9 Bird's hell, 1938 1.4%500 visits
    10. 10 Dancing bar in Baden-Baden, Bayerische St, 1923 1.4%500 visits
    11. 11 The Old Actress, 1926 1.4%500 visits
    12. 12 Self-Portrait in Florence, 1907 0.8%300 visits
    13. 13 Seascape with poplars, 1924 0.8%300 visits
    14. 14 Family Picture, Moma NY, 1920 0.8%300 visits
    15. 15 Still Life with Large Green Fruits 0.8%300 visits
    16. 16 Argonaux 0.8%300 visits
    17. 17 Temptation, 1937 0.5%200 visits
    18. 18 Actresses, 1946 0.5%200 visits
    19. 19 Self-Portrait with Trumpet, 1938 0.5%200 visits
    20. 55 Departure, 1935 this painting 0.3%100 visits

    Together these works take 82.4% of all the attention this artist's paintings received over the last twelve months. The catalogue holds 221 works by this artist, of which 72 were looked at at least once. This painting ranks 55 of them, with 0.3% of that attention (100 visits). The same counts, month by month

    Bars measure attention, not quality. Pick the work at the top and this one: name one thing that might make a painting famous beyond how well it is painted.

    Source: WahooArt.com — accessed Oct. 8, 2026

    Departure — Max Beckmann Part 2 · In context

    Artist and museum

    Artist

    Max Beckmann

    Born in Leipzig, Germany

    early life and artistic development

    max beckmann, a renowned german painter, draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and writer, was born on february 12, 1884, in leipzig, saxony. his artistic journey began with academically correct depictions, which later transformed into distorted figures and spaces, reflecting his altered vision of humanity after serving as a medical orderly in world war i.

    artistic style and influences

    beckmann's style, rooted in the imagery of medieval stained glass, was influenced by various artists, including cézanne, van gogh, blake, rembrandt, and rubens. he also drew inspiration from northern european artists of the late middle ages and early renaissance, such as bosch, bruegel, and matthias grünewald.

    notable works and exhibitions

    the bark (acquired by the national gallery in berlin) self-portrait in tuxedo (purchased in 1928) * retrospectives at the städtische kunsthalle mannheim (1928) and in basle and zurich (1930)

    later life and exile

    beckmann's fortunes changed with the rise of adolf hitler, leading to his dismissal from the art school in frankfurt and the confiscation of over 500 of his works. he lived in self-imposed exile in amsterdam for ten years, failing to obtain a visa for the united states.

    legacy

    taught at the art schools of washington university in st. louis and the brooklyn museum first retrospective in the united states took place in 1948 at the city art museum, saint louis * max-slevogt galerie, germany, features a collection of his works

    max-slevogt galerie, germany

    history of painting

    max beckmann's artworks on AllPaintingsStore

    key dates: born: february 12, 1884 died: december 27, 1950

    Where to read more

    Find this online

    QR code linking to the download page for Departure

    wahooart.com/en/art/download/max-beckmann-departure-8XYK3J-en/

    Cite this artwork

    MLA
    Beckmann, Max. Departure. 1935, https://wahooart.com/en/art/max-beckmann-departure-8XYK3J-en/
    APA
    Beckmann, Max (1935). Departure [Painting]. https://wahooart.com/en/art/max-beckmann-departure-8XYK3J-en/
    Chicago
    Max Beckmann. Departure. 1935. https://wahooart.com/en/art/max-beckmann-departure-8XYK3J-en/
    Harvard
    Beckmann, Max (1935) Departure. Available at: https://wahooart.com/en/art/max-beckmann-departure-8XYK3J-en/

    Source: WahooArt.com — accessed Oct. 8, 2026

    Departure — Max Beckmann Part 3 · Artist and museum

    Look closely

    Departure — Max Beckmann

    Look closely

    Answer in your own words. There are no wrong answers here — only answers you can explain.

    1. What catches your eye first, and why?
    2. Which colours or shapes create the mood — and what is that mood?
    3. Our catalogue files this work under: portraits. Do you agree? What would you add, or take away?
    4. Look back at The Night (1919), earlier in this guide. Name two things it shares with this work, and one that is different.
    5. Expressionism: Colour and shape deliberately distorted so the picture shows an emotion rather than a likeness. Where can you see that in this work?

    Your response

    Write a short paragraph about this artwork. Use the facts from the earlier parts of this guide, and your answers above.

    Source: WahooArt.com — accessed Oct. 8, 2026

    Departure — Max Beckmann Part 4 · Look closely

    Questions & Answers

    What is the dominant hue of "Departure" by Max Beckmann?

    A warm sunset tones hue runs through "Departure" by Max Beckmann.

    Is "Departure" by Max Beckmann a bright or a dark artwork?

    The perceived brightness of "Departure" by Max Beckmann is shadow. It can be matched to the light of the intended space.

    Can I see an X-ray view of "Departure" by Max Beckmann?

    "Departure" can be examined layer by layer on the artwork's X-Ray page, a viewer inspired by a conservator's light bench with eleven optical readings of the image.