The War (German: "Der Krieg"), sometimes known as the Dresden War Triptych, is a large Oil and Tempera[1] painting by Otto Dix on four wooden panels, a triptych with predella. The format of the work and its composition are based on religious triptychs of the Renaissance, like those by Matthias Grünewald. It was begun in 1929 and completed in 1932, and has been held by the Galerie Neue Meister in Dresden since 1968. It is one of several anti-war works done by Dix in the 1920s, inspired by his experience of trench warfare in the First World War.
Dix was an art student in Dresden before the First World War. He was conscripted in 1915, and served in the Imperial German Army as a machine gunner on the Eastern and Western Fronts. He returned to study at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts, and then in Italy. After the war, he was a founder of the short-lived avant-garde Dresdner Sezession art group, and then supported the post-expressionistNew Objectivity movement. The anti-war art that Dix created after 1920 was inspired by his horrific experiences in the trenches. Before this triptych, he completed his large anti-war painting The Trench in 1923, which caused great controversy when first exhibited, and he published a portfolio of fifty prints also entitled Der Krieg in 1924.
Dix became a professor at the Dresden Academy in 1927. He started working on the triptych soon after the tenth anniversary of the end of the First World War, as a reaction to the popular public perception of the war as a heroic experience. The painting was first exhibited at the autumn exhibition of the Berlin Academy of Arts in 1932.
The triptych has three main panels, with a fourth as a supporting panel or predella below the main central panel. The large central panel is a 204 cm (80 in) square; the flanking panels to either side the same height but half the width, 102 cm (40 in) each; and the predella below the central panel has the same width but is only 60 cm (24 in) high.
From left to right, the left wing depicts a column of German soldiers marching away from the viewer through the fog of war towards the battle in the central scene. The central panel shows a devastated urban landscape scattered with war paraphernalia and body parts, reworking the themes in his 1923 work The Trench, and divided like the 16th century Isenheim Altarpiece of Matthias Grünewald with a living side to the lower left and a dead side to the upper right. A skeletal figure floats above the scene, pointing to the right, with a soldier in gas mask below, and scabrous legs upended to the right, recalling the legs of Christ in Grünewald's crucifixion scene. The right wing shows several figures withdrawing from the fight. A dominant greyish figure, helping a wounded comrade, is a self-portrait of Dix, in a composition similar to a descent from the cross or a pietà. In the predella, several soldiers are lying next to each other, possibly sleeping under an awning, or perhaps they represent the dead in a tomb. This fourth panel is based on The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb by Hans Holbein the Younger.
The painting uses a restricted palette of mainly dark colours, with cold greens, greys, and whites for death and decay, and warm reds and oranges for blood, destruction and shellfire.
^Miller, Bruce F. (1987). "Otto Dix and His Oil-Tempura Technique". The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art. 74 (8): 332–355. ISSN 0009-8841.
The War, Otto Dix 1929–32, Google Arts & Culture
Der Krieg (Triptychon), Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
Otto Dix: Der Krieg - das Dresdner Triptychon
OTTO DIX (1891-1969), Der Krieg engravings,. Christie's, 19 September 2017
Tatar, Maria. "Fighting for Life: Figurations of War, Women, and the City in the Work of Otto Dix." German Politics & Society, no. 32 (1994): 28–57. https://www.jstor.org/stable/23736326.
Unpacking a painting
Otto Dix, Der Krieg: Mitteltafel - Karton zu dem Triptychon "Der Krieg", 1930
October 27, 2023
triptych, this, article, includes, list, references, related, reading, external, links, sources, remain, unclear, because, lacks, inline, citations, please, help, improve, this, article, introducing, more, precise, citations, june, 2020, learn, when, remove, t. This article includes a list of references related reading or external links but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations Please help to improve this article by introducing more precise citations June 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message The War German Der Krieg sometimes known as the Dresden War Triptych is a large Oil and Tempera 1 painting by Otto Dix on four wooden panels a triptych with predella The format of the work and its composition are based on religious triptychs of the Renaissance like those by Matthias Grunewald It was begun in 1929 and completed in 1932 and has been held by the Galerie Neue Meister in Dresden since 1968 It is one of several anti war works done by Dix in the 1920s inspired by his experience of trench warfare in the First World War Otto Dix The War Der Krieg 1932 Galerie Neue Meister Dresden Contents 1 Background 2 Description 3 See also 4 ReferencesBackground editDix was an art student in Dresden before the First World War He was conscripted in 1915 and served in the Imperial German Army as a machine gunner on the Eastern and Western Fronts He returned to study at the Dresden Academy of Fine Arts and then in Italy After the war he was a founder of the short lived avant garde Dresdner Sezession art group and then supported the post expressionist New Objectivity movement The anti war art that Dix created after 1920 was inspired by his horrific experiences in the trenches Before this triptych he completed his large anti war painting The Trench in 1923 which caused great controversy when first exhibited and he published a portfolio of fifty prints also entitled Der Krieg in 1924 Dix became a professor at the Dresden Academy in 1927 He started working on the triptych soon after the tenth anniversary of the end of the First World War as a reaction to the popular public perception of the war as a heroic experience The painting was first exhibited at the autumn exhibition of the Berlin Academy of Arts in 1932 Many of Dix s works were condemned as degenerate art by the Nazi Party but the triptych was hidden by Dix and survived Several of Dix s preparatory cartoons are held by the Hamburger Kunsthalle The War was purchased by the Galerie Neue Meister in Dresden for 500 000 Deutsche Marks in 1968 Description editThe triptych has three main panels with a fourth as a supporting panel or predella below the main central panel The large central panel is a 204 cm 80 in square the flanking panels to either side the same height but half the width 102 cm 40 in each and the predella below the central panel has the same width but is only 60 cm 24 in high From left to right the left wing depicts a column of German soldiers marching away from the viewer through the fog of war towards the battle in the central scene The central panel shows a devastated urban landscape scattered with war paraphernalia and body parts reworking the themes in his 1923 work The Trench and divided like the 16th century Isenheim Altarpiece of Matthias Grunewald with a living side to the lower left and a dead side to the upper right A skeletal figure floats above the scene pointing to the right with a soldier in gas mask below and scabrous legs upended to the right recalling the legs of Christ in Grunewald s crucifixion scene The right wing shows several figures withdrawing from the fight A dominant greyish figure helping a wounded comrade is a self portrait of Dix in a composition similar to a descent from the cross or a pieta In the predella several soldiers are lying next to each other possibly sleeping under an awning or perhaps they represent the dead in a tomb This fourth panel is based on The Body of the Dead Christ in the Tomb by Hans Holbein the Younger The painting uses a restricted palette of mainly dark colours with cold greens greys and whites for death and decay and warm reds and oranges for blood destruction and shellfire See also editDresden TriptychReferences edit Miller Bruce F 1987 Otto Dix and His Oil Tempura Technique The Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 74 8 332 355 ISSN 0009 8841 The War Otto Dix 1929 32 Google Arts amp Culture Der Krieg Triptychon Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden Otto Dix Der Krieg das Dresdner Triptychon OTTO DIX 1891 1969 Der Krieg engravings Christie s 19 September 2017 Tatar Maria Fighting for Life Figurations of War Women and the City in the Work of Otto Dix German Politics amp Society no 32 1994 28 57 https www jstor org stable 23736326 Unpacking a painting Otto Dix Der Krieg Mitteltafel Karton zu dem Triptychon Der Krieg 1930 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title The War Dix triptych amp oldid 1177956340, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
