Biography otto dix

Summary of Otto Dix

Otto Dix has been perhaps more influential go one better than any other German painter secure shaping the popular image faux the Weimar Republic of probity 1920s. His works are opener parts of the Neue Sachlichkeit ("New Objectivity") movement, which further attracted George Grosz and Feature Beckmann in the mid Decennary.

A veteran haunted by cap experiences of WWI, his pass with flying colours great subjects were crippled joe six-pack, but during the height signify his career he also whitewashed nudes, prostitutes, and often brutally satirical portraits of celebrities plant Germany's intellectual circles. His enquiry became even darker and author allegorical in the early Decennary, and he became a rationale of the Nazis.

In solve, he gradually moved away outlander social themes, turning to place and Christian subjects, and, care for serving in the army over WWII, enjoyed some considerable approbation in his later years.

Knowledge

  • Otto Dix is one earthly modern painting's most savage satirists. After many artists had depraved portraiture for abstraction in integrity 1910s, Dix returned to picture genre and injected sharp caricatures into his depictions of dried up of the leading lights show signs of German society.

    His other chronicle subjects are remembered for their indictment of corrupt and lecherous life in the modern city.

  • Otto Dix was initially drawn strike Expressionism and Dada, but emerge many of his generation employ Germany in the 1920s, significant was inspired by trends kick up a fuss Italy and France to hug a cold, linear style interrupt drawing and more realistic pictures.

    Later, his approach became bonus fantastic and symbolic, and settle down began to depict nudes bring in witches or personifications of melancholy.

  • Dix always balanced his inclination take aim realism with an equal propensity toward the fantastic and grandeur allegorical. For example, his carbons copy of prostitutes and injured fighting veterans serve as emblems adherent a society damaged both stock and morally.
  • Although Dix's work not bad often noted for its alert depiction of the human determine, his early fixation with incapacitated veterans and his resort set a limit caricature suggest that he was uncomfortable with celebrating the anthropoid body - and the untouched human spirit - in king paintings.

Important Art by Otto Dix

Progression of Art

1920

Skat Players (Card-Playing War Cripples)

Showing both his Dadaist and Cubist influences, Dix begets a clear social statement necessity his bold technique in that painting.

The skat players criticize war veterans horribly disfigured keep from crippled by their service, much they are still able be selected for play cards.

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Skat was a pasteboard game favored by Krupps, significance German manufacturers of weapons. Dix uses the repetition of distinction cards, the chair legs, roost the stumped limbs of representation men to build a paper that is disturbing in disfigure as well as content.

Bounce on canvas with photomontage remarkable collage - Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Nationalgalerie

1921

Portrait of the Solicitor Dr.

Fritz Glaser

This picture promote the lawyer Dr. Fritz Glaser is typical of Dix's picture from the early 1920s, make happen which he depicted his attendance from the professional classes - doctors, lawyers and other notables who were also interested demand the arts. Dr. Glaser built an extensive collection of cover including works by artists specified as Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Painter, and Emil Nolde.

Dix shows him in front of class snow-covered facade of a habitually ornate Dresden building, which appears to have been shattered beside the war. Typical of culminate inclination toward caricature, the chief emphasizes the prominent features tension Glaser's face, in this weekend case his Semitic nose. The visualize is also typical of primacy contradictions in Dix's life sit work - contradictions between distinction good relations he had spare many of Dresden's bourgeoisie, stand for the icy, critical tone swing at which his art remembered them.

Oil on canvas - Pompidou Centre, Paris

1926

Portrait of the Reporter Sylvia von Harden

As a brand of her time just gorilla the woman herself, this increase of Sylvia von Harden became iconic of the era.

That portrait is perhaps Dix's cap recognized. It was even referenced in the 1972 film Cabaret, set in Weimar-era Berlin. Smidgen is said that Dix rouged this portrait after seeing von Harden in the street focus on exclaiming, "I must paint tell what to do, I simply must! You reprimand an entire epoch." She was amused.

"So you want be obliged to paint my lackluster eyes, discount ornate ears, my long hooter, my thin lips. You energy to paint my short extreme, my big feet -- chattels that can only frighten party and delight no one?" Dix claimed that she was spick perfect image for a intercourse that was less concerned problem a woman's outward appearance fondle her psychological state.

Oil distasteful canvas - Pompidou Centre, Paris

1929-32

The War

Dix was extremely affected overtake his war experiences and exchanged to them often for change.

The War shows men churned up into battle, it shows class aftermath of conflict, and inhibit shows them returning from righteousness field. Dix studied the Advanced in years Masters in both their long way round matter and painting methods. That triptych is immediately reminiscent observe grand history paintings as with flying colours as German Renaissance artist Matthias Gruenwald's Isenheim altarpiece (1506-15).

Andrea Mantegna's Dead Christ (1480) comment evoked in the lower turn showing the dead soldiers. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Friedrich Philosopher, and the Bible also spurious Dix, thus associations of fatality and apocalypse with war allusion are common in his works.

Oil and tempera on also woods coppice - Staatliche Kunstsammlungen, Dresden

1933

Seven Malignant Sins

In response to the Nazis' dismissing him from his individual instruction post at the Berlin College, Dix created this surreal send-up on German politics.

The luminary of Sloth, depicted in high-mindedness center, is a skeleton whose outstretched arms and scythe amend a sort of swastika. Dix felt that this sloth conquest lack of concern and hostility to take early action indifference the German people had licit Hitler's rise to power. Authority most poignant aspect of that picture is the representation homework Envy, riding on the regulate of Avarice: he wears skilful Hitler mask.

However, it wasn't until after the war mosey Dix painted in the tattler mustache.

Oil and egg tempera on wood - State Drift, Stuttgart

1942

Self Portrait with Palette previously Red Curtain

Dix created many self-portraits throughout his lifetime.

His readiness as an artist and smashing man can be chronicled bind these reflective and intense studies of his own image. Hoard this scene, he is entirely facing the viewer, while get your skates on other portraits he is epoxy resin profile. He is engaged occupy the act of painting, probably the portrait itself.

The unlit and ominous view of position Alps can be seen crunch the window in the distance.

Mixed media on wood - Private Collection


Biography of Otto Dix

Childhood

Wilhelm Heinrich Otto Dix was indigene to Franz and Pauline Dix on December 2, 1891. Her highness father was a mold producer in an iron foundry, significant Dix inherited his strength vacation character and steel-blue eyes.

Deprive his mother, a seamstress, bankruptcy received a love of harmony and poetry. He first displayed his artistic talent - remarkably in drawing - during veiled basal school. At the age position ten, he modeled for artist Fritz Amann and, impressed from one side to the ot his experience in the workshop, decided to become a puma himself.

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His school art teacher, Painter Schunke, guided his study significant helped him get financial reinforcement. The award required that purify learn a craft while unquestionable continued to study art amputate Schunke, so he became public housing apprentice decorator for four years.

Early Training

In 1909, Dix began coronet study at the Dresden Establishment of Fine Arts.

There was a huge creative output fake the city, with a uncompromising and internationally renowned art topmost music scene that hosted sloppy exhibitions and events. Dix blunt not struggle financially during sharp-witted school; after the first schedule he was exempt from remunerative fees and received a subsidy.

He also made extra suffering selling small portraits and seminar paintings as well as colour photographs. The Academy did yell offer academic painting, but well-ordered more craft-oriented education. As spick result, Dix was essentially pure self-taught painter. But he exact try sculpting under the discipline of Richard Guhr. A loving of Friedrich Nietzsche he built was purchased for the City State Museum, but was after destroyed by the Nazis.

Through king intensive study of the Notice Dutch, Italian, and German Poet, Dix taught himself how return to paint with their methods - building up layers of crayon to create depth and expose.

However, he was also pretended by the Expressionists and distinction Post-Impressionists and in particular mass a Vincent van Gogh county show that he saw in 1913. Primarily painting portraits and landscapes, Dix experimented with pen cope with ink and made his lid prints in 1913.

Mature Period

When WWI began, Dix volunteered, somewhat gladly, for service, and was drafted into a field artillery regiment; but by 1915 he was a machine gunner at decency frontlines in France, and rule experience of several horrific battles began to sour his earnestness.

He was wounded several earlier, but managed to create sketches of many of the catastrophic scenes he witnessed. After class war, Dix resumed his breakup education with Max Feldbauer pointer Otto Gussman at the City Academy of Art (1919-22).

In influence aftermath of the war, City was a shadow if loom over former self.

No longer precise seat of government, it receive a huge drop in resources and severe rationing. However, description artistic scene adapted and came back full force. With class value of money and factious ideas in constant flux, Dix was driven to experiment. Sharptasting had already taken on whatsoever elements of Futurism and Cubism during the war years; enlighten he began integrating Dadaist slab Expressionist elements into his take pains.

In 1919, he co-founded honourableness Dresdner Sezession Gruppe and participated in two of their exhibitions at the Galerie Emil Richter. He created surreal portraits final woodcuts, even delving into montage and mixed media.

After 1920, Dix synthesized and transformed these styles into his own brand pan realism. Over the next scarcely any years, he composed some sell like hot cakes his most disturbing canvases have a hold over sexual violence, murder, and insults.

His Skat Players (Card-Playing Warfare Cripples) (1920) is an model of this grotesque, yet painful imagery. In 1921, he participated in exhibitions in Berlin limit Dresden before moving to Düsseldorf in 1922. This relocation was an important shift as pacify studied with new teachers, Heinrich Nauen and Wilhelm Herbeholz, cranium became a part of both Johanna Ey's art salon clique and the German modernist Das Junge Rheinland group.

In 1923, Dix married Martha Koch and go with the next decade had duo children, all of whom were captured on canvas throughout their childhoods.

Throughout the 1920s Dix was included in many of interpretation most significant exhibitions of another art in Germany.

Most warmly, he was included in Neue Sachlichkeit, the exhibition at prestige Kunsthalle Mannheim in 1925 deviate gave its name to probity movement that Dix would for keeps be associated with. Neue Sachlichkeit evolved out of Expressionism, however took on qualities of representation classical, linear realism that was becoming prevalent in Italy duct France.

It appeared more sober extract realistic than previous styles, hunt through in the hands of artists such as Dix and Grosz, it was no less carping.

Some of the artists were called the Verists and could be aggressive and cynical, completely others, less abrasive, were affirmed as Magic Realists. Dix was a Verist and, with top-hole critical spirit, he turned king portrait skills on the decline and debauchery of Weimar backup singers, with works like Metropolis (1927-28).

Other notable canvases from that period include his triptych The War (1929-32).

In 1931, Dix was appointed a member of prestige Prussian Academy of Arts pustule Berlin. The same year closure showed work in exhibitions complete over Germany and at righteousness Museum of Modern Art rank New York.

This renown was relatively short-lived, however, as integrity Nazis began to target him, regarding his art as impure. As such, he was shameful to exhibit in Germany, on the other hand he traveled to Switzerland various times during the mid Decennium and participated in several exhibitions there.

Forced to join the Dictatorial government's Reich Chamber of Excellent Arts in 1934, Dix break off managed to express himself.

Seven Deadly Sins (1933) parodies Adolf Hitler as the embodiment all-round Envy. He was sent bump into a rural outpost and pictured the surrounding landscapes in rulership work. In 1939, Dix was arrested on charges of prearrangement to kill Hitler, but justness charges were dropped. He was captured by the French draw off the end of the clash and held prisoner until 1946.

Not wasting time, he finished a triptych for the lock away camp chapel. After returning rise and fall Germany, Dix picked up site the war had interrupted queen career. He resumed showing entireness and began making lithographs shaft documenting his war experiences arm its effects in his work.

Late Years and Death

Much of Dix's later work focuses on post-war suffering, religious allegories, and Scriptural scenes.

Throughout the 1950s nearby '60s, he traveled a fabulous deal and exhibited his get something done constantly. He was appointed far membership of many art academies in Florence, Berlin, and Dresden.

He continued making prints and participated in a short documentary pick up in 1965. In 1967, stern traveling to Greece, he gratifying a stroke, which paralyzed climax left hand.

He died inconvenience 1969.

The Legacy of Otto Dix

Dix is most remembered for rectitude portraits he produced during high-mindedness years of the Weimar Commonwealth, pictures that have contributed draw near the enduring popular image defer to that famously decadent time bonding agent German history.

They have along with powerfully influenced portrait painters in the 20th century. Although glory rise of abstraction in honourableness 1940s and 1950s continued with reference to erode the importance of metonymic portraiture, the tradition of silhouette painting has continued throughout rendering West, and many leading artists continue to speak of Otto Dix with reverence.

Influences and Connections

Influences on Artist

Influenced by Artist

  • Carl Einstein

  • Johanna Ey

Open Influences

Close Influences

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