Portrait of Violinist Laslo von Rust
Bildnis des Geigers Laslo von Rust
Year: 1920
Description: In 1920, Dix was an art student in Dresden. He was surrounded by artists from all over Germany. During this time, he sketched many people from that community. This is his rendition of a violinist named Laslo von Rust.
This work is part of the Musuem of Modern Art's permanent collection. It's incorrectly listed in the catalog as "Carlo von Rust." From the inscription on the left, we can clearly see the violinist's name is "Laslo."
Provenance: Public Museum
- Museum of Modern Art (1013.1969)
Hugo Erfurth
Year: 1922
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.
Provenance: Von der Heydt-Museum, Wuppertal
Wounded Veteran
Year: 1922
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.
Provenance: Private Collection
Hugo Erfurth With A Cigarette
Year: 1922
Description: Hugo Erfurth was an established photographer by the time Dix arrived in Dresden. His subjects included many leading figures in the Weimar Republic but he was also determined to photograph younger subjects, the rising stars of the 1914 Generation. He photographed Dix on several occasions.
The artist returned the favor and captured Erfurth on both paper and canvas. Dix painted Erfurth along with his family along and faithful German Shepard. While his later portraits would accentuate Erfurth's worst features in true Dixian fashion, this early ink drawing flatters him.
Provenance: Private Collection
John Penn
Year: 1922
Description: In this water color depiction of a high seas sailor, we see more evidence of Otto Dix's persistent prejudice of navy men.
The sailor is sunburnt and scruffy. His face is crestfallen as he contemplates the prostitutes he's left behind. These "hardships" contrast with those of soldiers from his work at this time. In Der Krieg, his seminal work of 1924, soldiers are under constant threat and surrounded by the rotting corpses of less fortunate comrades.
Provenance: Private Collection
- Otto Dix Foundation, Valduz
Two Victims of Capitalism
Year: 1923
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.
Provenance: Die Pleite
We Want Bread!
Year: 1923
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.
Provenance: The Morgan Library, New York
From The Catacombs Of Palermo I
Year: 1923
Description: In the winter of 1923, French and Belgian troops occupied the Ruhr Valley to ensure Germany repay its war reparations. The Deutschmark was in freefall as hyperinflation gripped the country. During this time, Dix travel to Italy.
In Palermo, he visted the famous Catacombs dei Cappuccini and produced several sketches there. Upon his return to Germany later that year, he transformed several of them into a series of watercolors. In this work, he depicts the sunked skull of a seated corpse. It's body is still clad in the simple brown habit worn by the Cappuchin monks, many of whom were embalmed in the catacombs. This monk's unruly head and facial hair continued to grow for a period after his death.
The Palermo series was produced between The Trench and The War portfolio.
Provenance: Private Museum
- Haggerty Museum of Art (2000)
How I Looked As A Soldier
Year: 1924
Description: In 1914, Dix was an enthusiastic volunteer in the Kaiser's army. Retrospect did not allow him to alter depictions of himself at that time. Here he is very much a warrior, course and unshaven with a cigarette in his mouth and a machine gun in his arms. His uniform is tattered while his helmet is punctured. Dix survived despite the skull-like appearance of his face.
Provenance: Neue Galerie, New York
Hugo Erfurth with his Dog Ajax
Year: 1926
Description: This is a preparatory drawing for Dix's oil portrait of the photographer Hugo Erfurth. There are very few animals in the Dix catalog but the artist painted Erfurth's faithful German Shepard on several occasions.
Erfurth was 15 years his senior and an established photographer when the pair met. As a result, Dix may have initially shied away from his characteristic tendency to accentuate the subject's worst traits. By 1926, Dix appears to have possessed the confidence to give Erfurth the full treatment. The photographer's rotund face, slumped shoulders and failing eyesight are featured prominently in this drawing.
Provenance: Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
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