The Online Otto Dix Project

Description: At twenty-two Albrecht Dürer painted the Self-portrait with Carnation (1493, Louvre), probably to send to a new fiancée. At twenty-one, Dix knodded in the master's direction when he painted a similar motif.

Description: Before the war, Dix was an amateur artist working in Dresden. In 1912, the city was home to a major exhibition of the works of Van Gogh. As Sunrise reveals, the young Dix was influenced by the Dutch artist.

Description: Dix was never one to flatter his sitters. The subject's worst features often became the focus of the piece. The same scrutiny was never applied when he turned the easel on himself. Dix was always the most manly man in the room.

In this self portrait from 1913, Dix's likeness is emphasized against a light background. There is no distration, his likeness is the focal point. Aggressive strokes and earth tones suggest strength and manliness. His neutral expression and rosy cheeks provide a hint of vulnerability which suggest a calculated attempt to make points with the ladies.

Description: In the first year of war, Dix painted himself twice on one piece of paper. On this side, he is depicted in hellish combat with red and white flashes and eyes wide open.

Description: The other side of the piece above. A worried Dix is pictured in darkness in stark contrast with the gold insignia on his uniform.

Description: In the second year of war, he depcits himself as the God of War with angles borrowed from cubism. In this scene, death is abundant. Horses rear and flee. Buildings burst open and cities crumble. Yet Dix remains alive. Survival under such circumstances might give anyone a messiah complex.

Description: The Foundry was hot and the air was foul but it supported the family. Otto's father toiled there for most of his life. Its bricks are dark from soot and its yard is filled with scrap, yet through the Dixian filter, the Foundry is quite attractive.

Description: The war has left them crippled and deformed but their capacity to play skat remains in tact. It is a three-handed card game favored by the Krupps, German manufacturers of the types of weapons that misfigured men such as these.

Description: Along Prague Street, deformed men beg for money and attention. A woman in a tight pink dress has no time for them. The Nationalists do. Beside one veteran is a pamphlet entitled, "Jews Out!" The Nazis were not yet a National movement but one of their basic tenets was beginning to disseminate.

Description: Dix often depicted the lives of the downtrodden. Here we have a chance to see the start of the cycle. The working class boy is anything but carefree. He is overburdened and robbed of youth. His gaze is split as though he's trapped between worlds. He leads the life of an adult although he is just a child. He would like to play but there are mouths to feed. The left eye, the serious eye, steers him toward work.