Otto Dix was a German painter, print maker and water colorist. His depictions of mechanized warfare and post-war Berlin continue to shape our impressions of the Great War and Weimar society. Along with George Grosz, Otto Dix was one of the more important figures in New Objectivity. While Grosz delved into the shadows of modern society, Dix stared into the abyss. Three themes dominate much of his work:
Modern War: Dix was a veteran of the First World War. He was haunted by the
brutality of mechanized warfare long after the guns fell silent.
Through his art, he returns to the desolated landscape of military
trenches strewn with mutilated bodies. The dead are distorted by
decomposition. Human characteristics are indistinguishable in gas masks
and steel helmets.
Its Aftermath: His veterans are pitiful figures, disfigured by war and ignored by
survivors. War profiteers live with abundance while the wounded toil in
poverty. A blind veteran sells matches on the street as people ignore
his plight, a uncomfortable reminder of humiliating defeat. Just one
living thing acknowledges the veteran. It is a dachshund who urinates
on the stumps that were once his legs.
and Femmes Fatales: The painting on the left is entitled Three Prostitutes but only two fit that description. The one on the left walks with her nose in the air and a toy dog in her arm. Each works the system to the best of their ability, some do better than others.His women prowl for money or stare narcissisticly at their own unshapely figures. They are "rotten witnesses of a system of unscrupulous exploitation."
Modern War: Dix was a veteran of the First World War. He was haunted by the
brutality of mechanized warfare long after the guns fell silent.
Through his art, he returns to the desolated landscape of military
trenches strewn with mutilated bodies. The dead are distorted by
decomposition. Human characteristics are indistinguishable in gas masks
and steel helmets.
Its Aftermath: His veterans are pitiful figures, disfigured by war and ignored by
survivors. War profiteers live with abundance while the wounded toil in
poverty. A blind veteran sells matches on the street as people ignore
his plight, a uncomfortable reminder of humiliating defeat. Just one
living thing acknowledges the veteran. It is a dachshund who urinates
on the stumps that were once his legs.
and Femmes Fatales: The painting on the left is entitled Three Prostitutes but only two fit that description. The one on the left walks with her nose in the air and a toy dog in her arm. Each works the system to the best of their ability, some do better than others.His women prowl for money or stare narcissisticly at their own unshapely figures. They are "rotten witnesses of a system of unscrupulous exploitation."