The Night (Die Nacht)

"The Night" is a striking painting by the German artist Max Beckmann, created between 1918 and 1919. This work is associated with the Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity) movement and is currently housed at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen in Düsseldorf.

The painting depicts a chaotic and disturbing scene: three men violently invade a room, terrorizing its occupants. Beckmann employs vibrant red hues and muted brown tones to create a vivid, almost jarring composition. The style is flat and rigid, reminiscent of early 20th-century Fauvism. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Beckmann avoided avant-garde movements like Cubism and Dada, thereby amplifying the painting’s raw and energetic impact.

Beckmann's involvement with Neue Sachlichkeit stemmed from his profound disillusionment with war, having served in World War I. "The Night" captures the sense of post-war despair and the descent into societal madness. While it does not depict a specific battle, the painting serves as a powerful commentary on the aftermath of war. Art critic Stephan Lackner observed that Beckmann's work portrays suffering without any hint of glory or escape, highlighting human nature as the source of the overwhelming self-reproach seen in the artwork.