Images: War Veterans
The Trench
Otto Dix 1921 Lost in 1940 In this painting, we can see the type of settings that Dix or Grosz may have lived in during the war and, consequently, would have inspired them to document their experience. The scene shows the horrifying conditions in which the veterans fought and where they frequently left limbs behind. As the only painting in this series that shows war, rather than its aftermath, we can make the connection between their life on the battlefield and their current civilian life. |
Skat Players
Otto Dix 1920 New National Gallery, Berlin Three figures sit playing cards in the middle of the scene, however this is no ordinary game. One plays with his foot, another with his mouth, and the third with a wooden hand. The three veterans are pieced together horrifically, so collage seems like an appropriate medium for this scene. The patched together nature combined with legs that are indistinguishable from the legs of the table, make us wonder how the figures function in other activities. |
Republican Automata
George Grosz 1920 Museum of Modern Art The juxtaposition between the medium used and the subject matter of the painting is an interesting one. Watercolor is a medium that is traditionally used for natural and romanticized scenes. However, the painting is set within the grid of urban life and the two figures in the scene appear robotic and machine-like. The figures in the scene are war veterans, the one in the forefront indicated only by the metal on his lapel and the one behind by his missing leg. One has a hollow head and the other has a number on his face, indicating that the government thought of their militia and veterans as numbers who could not think for themselves. |
These War Invalids are Getting to be a Positive Pest
George Grosz 1920 Nierendorf Gallery, W. Berlin The central figure in this drawing appears to be an official that controls the welfare fund for war veterans. His role is indicated by the pile of money horded under his desk, while limiting the money given to the surrounding veterans to a few bills. The box of cigars and bottles of champagne that clutter his workspace show that he is clearly profiting from his position while the objects themselves are hindering him from doing any real work. In the margins of the drawing, a position that also reflects their position in society, are war veterans, indicated by their crutches and loss of limbs. One of them plays a song that celebrates Germany, while the others beg for money from the central figure. Grosz points out the irony of veterans who enthusiastically gave their limbs and lives to country who gave so little back. |
War Cripples
Otto Dix 1921 A parade of war veteran hobbles across this drawing. Most are missing legs, a few are missing arms, and even though the upright figure that brings up the rear has all of its limbs, a closer look tells us that his arm and leg have mechanical parts. Ironically, the parade passes in front of a shoemaker shop, even though there are only three feet in this drawing. The sketched quality of the work gives it a cartoonish feel, which effectively relays Dix’s dark humor. |
Grey Day
George Grosz 1921 Grey Day expresses the sentiments of Grosz’s drawing, These War Invalids are Getting to be a Positive Pest. Again, the main figure is a government official, said to be one who works for the a welfare fund war veterans. Grosz shows his disgust with the government official by making a mockery of him, drawing him with cross eyes and a tightly fitting bowler hat.[1] A war veteran appears behind the figure, indicated by his cane and military dress. The division between the two figures may indicate that there was no interaction between the upper levels of society and the war veterans, or that no money was passing from the fund to the veterans. [1] Sabine Rewald. Glitter and Doom: German Portraits from the 1920s, exh. cat. (New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006), 57. |
Cafe Couple
Otto Dix 1921 As the name of the painting indicates, a couple sits at a café. The woman’s fur stole, the man’s nice suit, and their setting all suggest that the couple is wealthy. Although they appear wealthy and young, their faces are sunken and gaunt. In the forefront of the painting, the man’s glass eye and scarred mouth indicate that he is a war veteran. With these allusions to war in the painting, we can better understand the couples’ harrowing expression. |