His most famous painting (Metropolis) – Otto Dix

The famous expressionist painter Otto Dix (1891-1969) was born in Unternhaus, Germany. After finishing primary school, he went on to work locally as an apprentice and then, in 1910, he joined the Dresden School of Arts and Crafts. While his early works were ‘expressionist’ and colorful, the World Wars and their aftermath had heavily influenced Otto’s later works. The most significant influencing factor was his experience as a machine gunner in the German Army during the First World War. Many of Dix’s postwar paintings show what Germany was like in the 1920s, a reality not everyone was comfortable looking at. The grotesque portrayal of Dix shocked most of German society after the war. Two themes he particularly focused on were the crippled, murdered and forgotten soldiers in the war and the large number of prostitutes scattered throughout German cities, with revelers having the most fun. His most famous painting is the triptych “Metropolis” (1928), which represents the main elements of German society after the First World War.

The left panel of “Metropolis” shows a crippled war soldier entering a poor part of Berlin and greeted by a line of call-out prostitutes. A man, probably a soldier, is found dead in the street. The central panel of the painting shows the prosperity of the city in the so-called German “Golden Twenties”, influenced by American jazz and dance. The right panel of the creation reflects eye-catching and classy prostitutes seeking clients in the wealthiest parts of the city, represented by elaborate architecture. Therefore, the two side panels of the painting reflect the contrasts that coexist in German society at the same time.

After the war, Dix’s paintings had become increasingly political, reflecting his anger at the way wounded and crippled soldiers were treated in Germany. His paintings, such as “War Cripples” (1920), “Butcher’s Shop” (1920) and “War Wounded” (1922) clearly reflect his views. Ten spent six years in what is considered two of his famous works of art, “Metropolis” (1928) and “Trench Warfare” (1932). He painted several portraits of prostitutes in brothels or on the street. “El Salón” is one of his most famous representations of prostitutes. Dix’s creations punctuated the shocking aspects of German society onto the canvas. To add, no one could miss the important complexities of the realities behind his creations. He also began to make portraits that focused on the worst traits and weaknesses of his models, regardless of what kind of society they came from. Otto Dix died in Singen, Germany, in 1969, but not before having given the world extraordinary creations such as the “Metropolis”, which now adorns the Galerie der Stadt, Stuttgart, Germany.