Begin the Beguine / Max Beckmann
About this Item
Record Details
- Accession Number
- 1948/1.103
- Title
- Begin the Beguine
- Artist
- Max Beckmann
- Artist Nationality
- German
- Artist Life Dates
- 1884-1950
- Medium and Support
- oil on canvas
- Object Creation Date
- 1946
- Object Creation Place
- Europe (continent)
- Netherlands (nation)
- Creation Place 1
- Europe (continent)
- Creation Place 2
- Netherlands (nation)
- Credit Line
- Museum Purchase
- Style/Group/Movement
- German Expressionist
- Inscription
- Inscribed l.r.: Beckmann/ A.46
- Dimensions
- 176.7 cm x 120.6 cm (69 9/16 in. x 47 1/2 in.)
- Century
- 20th century
- Primary Object Classification
- Painting
- Primary Object Type
- abstract
- Physical Description
- Interior composition with male and female dancers positioned at center with seated female at lower left, standing male on crutches at right and a group of birds in the leftmost background.
- Subject Matter
- "Begin the Beguine" refers to a Cole Porter song (from the 1935 musical "Jubilee") that had become a popular big band standard in Artie Shaw's 1938 clarinet recording. The song's title can been seen at the lower left and the invocation of Cole Porter's sophistication stands in sharp contrast to the disturbing visual imagery within the composition. Distorted space, mutilated limbs, an acidic palette communicate Beckmann's ambivalence toward American culture as well as his attraction to cabaret.
- Secondary Keywords
- amputation
- animals
- animals and creatures
- arts
- arts and related disciplines
- buildings and the land
- disciplines
- equipment
- equipment by context
- equipment for personal use
- european
- european styles and periods
- genres
- humanities
- modern and contemporary art
- modern european fine arts styles and movements
- modern european styles and movements
- movement
- objects we use
- people
- people (agents)
- people and culture
- people by occupation
- people in the arts
- people in the arts and related occupations
- people in the humanities
- people in the performing arts
- performing artists
- performing arts
- performing arts buildings
- performing arts structures
- single built works
- single built works by function
- single built works by specific type
- styles and periods
- styles and periods by region
- the natural world
- tools and equipment
- Rights
- If you are interested in using an image for a publication, please visit https://umma.umich.edu/about/services/request-image/ for more information and to fill out the online Image Rights and Reproductions Request Form.
Technical Details
- Collection
- University of Michigan Museum of Art
- Image Size
- 981 x 1485
- File Size
- 194 KB
- Record
- 1948/1.103
- Link to this Item
-
https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1948-sl-1.103/1948_1.103.jpg
Rights and Permissions
Related Links
Portfolios
- In public portfolios
Cite this Item
View the Help Guide for more information.
- Full citation
-
"Begin the Beguine; Max Beckmann." In the digital collection University of Michigan Museum of Art. https://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/musart/x-1948-sl-1.103/1948_1.103.jpg. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed April 19, 2024.
