“Eritis sicut deus scientes bonum et malum.”
Goethe, Wolfgang "Faust: The Second Part of the Tragedy", published originally in 1832 (year of Goethe's death), this wonderful edition was illustrated by painter, author, professor for art: Max Beckmann during his years of exile in Amsterdam 1943-1944.
143 pen drawings on Büttenpapier. Comissioned by publisher and friend Georg Hartmann, prior to that, he engaged Beckmann 1941 with lithographies for "Apocalypse". 1943 Hartmann suggested "Don Quijote" (favourite book of Beckmann) and "Faust" (Hartmann was a big adorer of Goethe and both where born in Frankfurt).
"Whoever aspiringly strives, we can redeem."
"This is the last word of wisdom: Only he deserves freedom as well as life, who has to conquer it daily."
"The deed is all, not the glory."
"High should the double-win be appreciated: Becoming mercy and at the same time, bringing joy."
"War, trade and piracy, triune they are, inseparable."
"How earnings and luck are linked togehter , fools never think of that; When they would have the philosopher's stone, the wise lacks the stone."
Beckmann is melting words and visions, letters becoming symbols and every drawn line's narrating the story.
It must have been hard circumstances under which he had to work, bombing and insomnia, Weltekel and terrible pain,
alienated by the great writer and poet Goethe:
"State of copious hopelessness- and the relation to the Ur-Alten [Goethe] is opaque as ever."
(Diary-entry, July 1943)
Despite it, Beckmann was able to finish this project, continued to drink his wine and poured out love and sorrow, seriousness and play. Creating the figures in his hand and bringing dynamically to life.
As in the poetry the world is vividly described, Beckmann recreated the Faust Legend, letting his countentance shining through and incredibly intensifying the reading experience.
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