That in DEPARTURE is hinted by the coverage of different historical periods put together by the medieval columns, Assyrian character, Grecian queen, the drummer in Renaissance costume and the modern usher. .
Style.
As mentioned, Picasso's GUERNICA has the structural analysis of Cubism. His distortion of humans and animals brings to mind surrealism, especially that of Miro. The humans in Beckmann's DEPARTURE and even in his other Expressionist paintings are not as heavily distorted. This is in line of New Objectivity, an Expressionism that is concerned with the presentation of objects themselves without subjective abstraction. .
Objects are crowded in both paintings. Although both crowded compositions express madness, that in GUERNICA is used to portray the tumultuous state of war while that in DEPARTURE conveys the oppressiveness and perversion of the world Beckmann saw. .
The images in GUERNICA are overlapped in such a way that logical perspective is abandoned. The subjects in DEPARTURE do not overlap in the way of Picasso. Some subjects like the still life of fruits are, however, illogically sized. .
Color, Shape, Line and Motion.
GUERNICA is somber with black, gray and white, while DEPARTURE has colors employed in the way of an Expressionist. The somber color scheme in GUERNICA is chosen not only because it is appropriate to the grave subject matter, but also it shows how objects momentarily appear under photographic flashlights. In DEPARTURE, it seems the middle panel is the only area where pure primary colors are used. These primary colors used in the sea, and the pieces of cloth on the fringing men in the center panel, are in contrast to the mixed colors employed in both wings. The primary colors signify freedom from spiritual impurity. .
The use of triangles in GUERNICA brings to mind LES DEMOISELLES D" AVIGNON, which seems to be inspired by images reflected by pieces of broken mirror. Picasso usually used sharp triangular shapes to impart negative feelings.