MAX BECKMANN (German, 1884-1950) Hotel Lobby,1950 Oil on canvas, 56 x 35" Room of Contemporary Art Fund, 1950

How would it feel to be in a crowded room where you didn't know anybody? The man looking out from the center of this painting knows the answer to that question! A lot of people think this painting is a self-portrait of the artist, Max Beckmann.

Beckmann was from Germany. Germany and the United States fought against each other in World War II, which lasted from 1939 to 1945. Beckmann did not like the government of Germany at that time, which was controlled by the cruel Nazi party. Because Beckmann's work didn't show a happy and healthy Germany, the Nazis took his art away, eventually selling it to make money for their government. Beckmann left Germany before the war began, moving to the country of Holland. When the war ended, he came to the United States to teach art. Although many Americans respected his teaching and liked his painting, they were suspicious of him because he was German. The way he painted Hotel Lobby tells us how he must have felt.

He is in a cramped and crowded room, and although he's surrounded by people, he is very much alone: some people stare at him, while others don't notice or ignore him. He is even separated from us by the black ladder-like object on the right. The colors are not bright, and there are many sharp, black lines. What do you think he is thinking? Can you think of any time that you were in a group of people where you felt all alone or a little nervous? When and where it is fun to be in a crowd?