Perseus's Last Duty
1949
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
1949
unspecified
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
You see a crowded, chaotic scene: a warrior in armor stands over piles of dead bodies, holding a sword and a severed head. This isn’t the usual heroic tale of Perseus. The violence here feels personal, almost like a bad dream. Beckmann fought in World War I and lived through World War II—this painting might be his way of showing how war twists old stories into something darker. If you want to see more of Beckmann’s work, look up Max Beckmann (German, 1884–1950).
