Otto Dix was a German artist that was known for his dark, grotesque, and ruthless style of art. He used his paintings to represent and express Weimar society and the brutal reality of war. He was a proud veteran who witnessed the harsh reality of war and used his artistic skills to express himself.
Otto Dix was born on December 2, 1981 in Gera, Germany. His parents were Franz Dix who was an iron foundry worker and Pauline Dix who was a seamstress. Through elementary school he started to prove his artistic talent and have a passion for painting. Ernst Schunke his art teacher guided him along the way. He then began his studies at Dresden Academy of Fine Arts where he learned many different methods and ways to paint. Later on when the war began he decided to volunteer and become a veteran on 1915. During the war he witnesses a lot of tragic scenes and even got hurt a lot times. Those harsh moments inspired him to sketch and express what he was going through. After war he decided to go back to his painting and was using elements in his paintings such as Dadaism, cubism, realism and expressionist. Delivering in his paintings violence and what was really going on that time. In 1923 Dix married Martha Koch and later had three children with her. In the 1920s Otto Dix became a well know known painter and was included in Neue Sachlichkeit exhibition. In 1967 he suffered a stroke which paralyzed his left hand and died in 1969. Otto Dix and his artistic works influenced a famous era in German history.
Famous paintings:
Title: Flanders
Year: 1934
My interpretation of the art piece is that it looks like a war had occurred overnight. There are many dead and decomposed bodies with military gear. Everything seems destroyed on the land and it also looks like its becoming daytime. The meaning of art piece is that aftermath of a war, the war in which the Nazis gained power. Otto Dix is expressing his tragic war experiences in the painting.
Title: Three prostitutes on the street
Year: 1925
In this art work there are three women dressed with an old style but two of them look like prostitutes. There’s a woman that has her nose up and looks like she’s disgusted by the prostitutes. The one in the middle looks like she is looking for customers and the other on the right looks embarrassed and doesn’t want anyone to see what she is doing. In my opinion the painting is about the prostitution that was occurring in that time and the way these women were criticized negatively.
Title: The Match seller
Year: 1921
In this painting there is a mutilated veteran that is blind and disabled from war. The painting looks sad; as he is selling something on the floor everyone that’s passing by is ignoring him. The only attention he is getting is from the dog in which urinates on him. This painting demonstrates how bad individuals were being treated even those who were in the military. Those who were in the military didn’t even get the help they needed after serving the country.
It is good that on the first art you point out that it appeared that the war took place over night. Now the war was over, lost, and now it was day time it depicts the many lives that were lost during this time. The second piece shows two different social classes crossing path. yes one of the woman seems to be disgusted and yet ignores the other ladies, while the other ladies notice the disturbance their presence caused and decided to ignored it. On the last art it is good that you point out how much have not changed about the military and how the soldiers become forgotten after the war and risking their lives.
ReplyDelete