German artist of the 20th century (1884-1950). Beckmann was known as a German Expressionist. His paintings were considered very dark and almost Gothic. He mostly painted large canvases full of people in writhing, odd positions, holding various objects. These people often had ghostly white skin tones and were positioned in odd, almost Cubist ways. His style is attributed to his service in World War I, where he witnessed the horrors of war. Beckmann painted numerous self-portraits of himself, for which he is known for. However, he is most famous for his triptychs, or three part paintings depicting dark scenes full of ghostly white people.