Otto Dix

Lore & Background

Otto Dix was born in Untermhaus, Germany, now part of Gera, Thuringia. The eldest son of an iron foundry worker and a seamstress, he was exposed to art early through his cousin, painter Fritz Amann. He apprenticed with painter Carl Senff from 1906 to 1910, then entered the Kunstgewerbeschule in Dresden. His early works concentrated on landscapes and portraits in a stylized realism that later shifted to expressionism.

When World War I erupted, Dix volunteered for the German Army, serving as a non-commissioned officer in a machine-gun unit on the Western front, taking part in the Battle of the Somme. He later served on the Eastern front and in Flanders, earning the Iron Cross, 2nd class. He was profoundly affected by the war, later producing a portfolio of fifty etchings called Der Krieg (1924) and The War Triptych (1929–1932). After the war, he studied in Dresden, co-founded the Dresden Secession, and met George Grosz, incorporating Dada-influenced collage into his works.

During the Weimar Republic, Dix developed an increasingly realistic style using thin oil glazes over tempera underpainting. His painting The Trench (1923) caused such a furor that the Wallraf-Richartz Museum hid it behind a curtain. He contributed to the Neue Sachlichkeit exhibition in Mannheim in 1925. His work critically depicted prostitution, violence, old age, and death. The Nazis defined him as a 'degenerate' artist; he was sacked from his teaching post in 1933, and his works were exhibited in the 1937 Entartete Kunst exhibition. During World War II, he was conscripted into the Volkssturm, captured by French troops, and released in February 1946.

Reader's Guide

Otto Dix remains a central figure in the Neue Sachlichkeit movement, known for his unflinching portrayal of German society in the Weimar Republic and the horrors of war. His work, alongside that of George Grosz and Max Beckmann, offered a harshly realistic critique of contemporary life, focusing on themes such as prostitution, violence, and the disfigured veterans of World War I. His painting The Trench, described as 'perhaps the most famous picture in post-war Europe ... a masterpiece of unspeakable horror,' exemplifies his ability to confront viewers with the brutal realities of conflict. Dix's persecution by the Nazi regime, which labeled his art 'degenerate' and removed him from his professorship, underscores the political power of his imagery. After World War II, he gained recognition in both East and West Germany, receiving awards such as the Grand Merit Cross of the Federal Republic of Germany. His legacy endures through his stark depictions of a society in turmoil, influencing later generations of artists and historians studying the interwar period.

Did You Know?

• Dix volunteered for the German Army when World War I erupted and served in a machine-gun unit on the Western front, taking part in the Battle of the Somme.
• His painting The Trench (1923) was so controversial that the Wallraf-Richartz Museum hid it behind a curtain, and Cologne's mayor Konrad Adenauer later canceled its purchase.
• In 1933, Dix was sacked from his post as a professor of painting at the Dresden Academy on a directive from Saxony's Reichskommissar, for committing a 'violation of the moral sensibilities' of the nation.
• Dix's paintings The Trench and War Cripples were exhibited in the state-sponsored 1937 exhibition of degenerate art, Entartete Kunst.

Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)

"War too, must be seen as a natural occurrence." — Otto Dix "Lice, rats, barbed wire, fleas, shells, bombs, caves, corpses, blood, liquor, mice, cats, gas, artillery, filth, bullets, mortars, fire, steel: that is what war is! It is all the work of the Devil!" — Otto Dix "If I can't be famous, I want at least to be infamous." — Otto Dix "[..it had been fun] to be able to draw in the midst of boredom and misery.." — Otto Dix