Otto Dix was a part of Neue Sachlichkeit ("new
objectivity" in English) which was a group of artists who were enlisted in
the German military during World War I. Dix was an avid reader of philosophy
and read Friedrich Nietzsche most
frequently. From Nietzsche and war Dix developed an intense understanding of
the depth of life, and he nderstood life to be a cyclical pattern of life and
death. This work is intended to expose the nature of war. To the left you see a
group charging into battle as a group, the middle shows the aftermath of a
battle, the bottom shows the aftermath of an aftermath which is a decaying
corpse beneath the earth, and the right shows a man, intended to be Dix
himself, pulling another man to safety. The exposure of death and tragedy brings the audience completely into the painting. Ultimately, this painting
has astounding depth when all the panels are considered. Like
other Neue Sachlichkeit artists, Dix's art's purpose was to expose the bare
realities of the time.
This painting is a part of this exhibit because
of Otto's understanding of death. Not only was he in a war where he saw and
experienced death of allies first hand but he also researched and studied
philosophies of life and death. Dix's deep understanding of life made him
qualified to paint on behalf of death. As a member of the audience, a
person feels like they're a spectator on the battlefield. So, it is clear why
this piece is a part of the exhibit.
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