The Online Otto Dix Project

Description: In preparation for the Battle of Vimy Ridge, Allied mining companies tunneled under German positions and laid multi-thousand pound mines. Their intent was to destroy fortifications before the assault. Large explosives opened huge craters that were incorporated into the military landscape. His intentions aside, the crater resembles some human anatomy. Gouache on brown paper.

Description: In a two drawings in 1917, Dix presents his depiction of the cycle of life. At the time, he was eye-deep in mud and war defined his existence. In this first view, soldiers are locked in deadly fighting. They are participants in an orgy of gratuitous violence. It's hard to imagine that any will survive.

This represents an experimental style for Dix. It is reminiscent of orphic cubism which found its voice in Paris before the outbreak of war. The geometric patterns allow him to roll the participants into a single turbulent mass. The style provides movement, texture and chaos.

Description: In this second drawing, Dix completes his cycle of life. The soldiers are dead and tucked in their graves. Lovers embrace amid the tombs to create another generation of cannon fodder. Again Dix experiments with orphic cubism which allows him to intertwine his lovers.

Description: Gouache.

Description: As an infantry soldier, Dix appeared to harbor a great deal of resentment towards Navy men. They are often depicted drunk and in the company of whores while soldiers are shown in a more sympathetic manner. Black ink on brown paper.

Description: Dix is particular in the area he finds most important: her facial expression. Details dissipate as he works further and further from her eyes. Graphite, with stumping, on cream laid paper.

Description: Hugo Erfurth was photographer and art dealer from Dresden. He took several photographs of Dix of the course of several years. Dix, in turn, produced several portraits of Erfurth in pen, ink and oils. Erfurth's war photos were of great help to Dix when he produced his 1924 series Der Krieg.

Description: This is a subtle but powerful illustration of the ravages of modern war. Unfortunately this type of wound was far too common. First War shells didn't spray as efficiently as the did in the Second. Large pieces tended to hurl intact. As a result, shrapnel struck fewer men but with more severe results. Here the veteran stands alone against a large background. The colors and the presentation are somewhat subdued but the his gaping wound reaches out and grabs you. Dix doesn't attempt to provide commentary. He simply says, "Here, look at this." You can't help but stare.

Description: She bears a syphilitic scar that resembles a bullet hole. He has a war wound that looks like female genitalia. To Dix, they are both casualties of a system that recruits bodies for payment.

Originally entitled Whore With War Cripple it was renamed Two Victims of Capitalism when it appeared in the communist journal Die Pleite.

Description: A crowd of demonstrators marches in the street. One carries a declaration of their needs. His sign reads, "We want bread!" The crowd can be seen through the window of an elegant cafe. The patrons are elegantly dressed and shipping champagne. Despite the ruckus in the street, they are oblivious to those outside.