Otto Dix - An Artist of Anguish
Вставка
- Опубліковано 14 гру 2024
- Rising from the smokestacks of industrial Germany in the late 19th century, as Europe was beginning to grapple with the harrowing realities of conflict and societal upheaval, one artist dared to confront the raw, unvarnished truth of the human condition through his stark, provocative creations. Otto Dix, a master of expressionist and New Objectivity movements, as well as a key figurehead within a style of art that would later be branded by the Nazis as Degenerative art, emerged as a beacon of artistic courage and social commentary in interwar Germany. His works, marked by their visceral intensity, dark satire and uncompromising morbidity, offer profound insights into the depths of human suffering, the fragility of human life, and the complexities of the human psyche.
His artistic journey unfolded against a backdrop of the brutality of World War I, the volatile Weimar Republic, and the rise of fascism. Dix, however, refused to romanticise or sugarcoat these events. Instead, he wielded his brush as a scalpel, meticulously dissecting the human experience and exposing its often grotesque underbelly.
In this video, we will delve into some of the most unflinching visions of Otto Dix, where viewers are confronted not with idealised heroes or beautiful landscapes, but with the mangled bodies of soldiers, the desperation of the impoverished, and the moral decay of a nation during this cataclysmic era in European history.
Through his iconic style and technique, Dix challenged the prevailing narratives of his time, forcing society to confront the uncomfortable truths that lay beneath the surface. Here we will explore his work in-depth, from his jarring subject matter to his masterful technical execution, which served as a stark indictment of war, social inequality, and the darkness within humanity itself.
-
Artist Corner:
Today’s featured bonus artist is Valentine, an outsider artist who goes by the pseudonym Punkrockghostie. Please shopw him some support and explore more of his work via the links below:
/ punkrockghostie
-
Submit your art, support the channel or say hi:
Email - blinddweller@gmail.com
Patreon - / blinddweller
Instagram - / blinddweller
Discord - / discord
Especially after all the depictions of death, degeneracy, and evil, seeing his last few paintings just being him smiling with his granddaughter and painting his granddaughters in a field of flowers gives a very hopeful feeling. People with dark backgrounds of abuse and war and such may resonate with his disturbing war paintings and how it depicts the worst parts of humanity, but seeing those last paintings of him finally showing peace and happiness after suffering through so much can be very powerful.
In between his darker paintings there were those of his children and his wife as well. Even his parents.
❤👍🏻👍🏻
Nothing wrong with happy peaceful images, they are esthetically pleasing and can make people feel good when they look at them and that's worth something.
The only problem is that they don't make people think about issues in the world that they don't experience themselves, but that are going on and are always a potential threat.
Unsettling art can make people think in a more critical way about things like war, oppression, environmental strain etc.
This is exactly the type of high quality content I pay my internet bills for.
Agreed. Best art channel ever.
That's one way to put it
I first saw his work in a school book when I was 13... at 19 I got to see a full exhibit of his entire life's work... and now in my thirties I'm still as obsessed as ever with this man's unflinching, striking and powerful work.
The "vulva" in the Nun painting could also be a reference to the disembodied side wound of Christ. There's a lot of medieval christian imagery around the wound Jesus got when a Roman soldier speared him on the cross to check if he was dead. The side wound imagery overall looks a LOT like a vulva and has led to interesting discussions. It's interesting to read about!
So glad his name is being brought up! What a wonderful artist. Same with Egon Schiele!
love Egon Schiele, one of my favorite artists. has blind dweller done a video on him?
I wish my art could tell as honest a story. They don't always but I'm trying. Your explanations of the compositions are helpful. Your interpretations are open and expressive. It always matches the artist's tone as much as possible. That's a different form of art. Getting people to listen to the painting. 🎨
..."Listen to the painting." What a very apt way of putting it.
Don't get mad at yourself..OG Dix was given a hell of a hard road and a god given talent to make people feel all kinds of ways... That "nun" piece.... Blew me away...I have never in my life been terrified of a piece of a work
I wonder if there’s a Dix in the trenches of Ukraine or in Gaza. I also wonder how many wonderful artists get snuffed out daily around the world because of stupid geopolitical bullshit. Wonder how many great things we never got to see from the snuffing out back then. The human condition is a sad one.
People say art has no power anymore, but Otto Dix gets a strong reaction out of anybody. The horrors of modernity are still relevant today
Always have been awed by Dix's audacious combination of the explosive expressionist esthetic, the raw compression of his violent lived experience, and his slow, methodical classical training. Lightning in a bottle.
Finishing off with family-centered alla prima exploration is the cherry on top 🤌🏻 What a starkingly sharp artist, this man was.
The greatest painter of XX century deserved only the best art documentary and you delivered. Thank you!
It's always going to be a good day when a new Blind Dweller video appears!! Thanks so much for the incredibly interesting and entertaining work! ❤
It’s the best art channel on UA-cam
The overall story of this is just so attractive and poetic. A man who witnessed some of the worst atrocities both socially and politically, creates his art as a cautionary tale for what was and could be. Only to be toppled by an even more oppressive regime who had a much worse grasp over the population which will goosestep them into one of the bloodiest wars and significant losses of life the world had ever documented on camera, is what makes his "Triumph of Death" painting so potent. It's like you're trying to warn everyone of an upcoming disaster but you don't have a mouth to yell it. He knew what would've resulted in ww2, and he knew all too well what would've happened afterwords. His story is super depressing, but I'm happy he found happiness through his perseverance in the end.
I love Dix. If had the money I'd buy a whole bag of Dix.
A bowl even lol
I had actually looked forward to you showing this artist but I never suggested it, so it was a nice surprise haha!
I think Otto did paintings that were both horrible but also in a way beautiful at the same time. He showed that everyone is susceptible to damage, death and regret. I get strongly reminded of one of my favorite books "All quiet on the western front" when I see his pictures. Both Dix and Remarque could show both the grotesque and the humoristic at the same time and they both really depicted the insantiy of war!
Imagine a Remarque book with Dix's illustrations/paintings in it. What a powerful project that would have been!
And yet here we are in 2024 now and have learnt nothing. Germany is the second largest arms dealer to the Israeli military. Just look to how they are then used. 😢😢
@@BlindDweller : I thought exactly the same thing! That would be great!
When I read a book I get pictures in my head of characters and places and many of the war scenes in "all quiet on the western front "looked that way in my head.
I remember going to see an exhibition of his work in the Tate Liverpool a few years ago. I’ve always been fascinated by Weimar era art but he immediately became one of my favourite artists. The juxtaposition of his war-inspired art and his astonishingly tender depictions of his wife Martha and their children is phenomenal.
I watched Night Gallery as a young teenager. It creeped me out,but I loved it! At 63, I still watch a lot of horror.
I’ve seen a lot of depraved art in my 24 years of life but Otto Dix is something else entirely. His depictions of death are eerie but there is a layer of importance in it as well. Nocturnal Encounter with a Lunatic proves my point because it speaks to moral ambiguity. I don’t know if the black skeleton is a soldier or a child who has snapped due to trauma.
That one unnerves me, it's like you're encountering a entity you shouldn't have, the war being so brutal and destructive that malicious and predatory beings come out.
Thank you so much for this. Dix is one of my favorite artists ever, along with Frans Marc and Kandinsky.
Dear Mr. Dweller,
I think you are making an incredible effort here, which contributes an essential part to the visual arts. I am about to start studying art and try to gather as much information as possible. Your videos have contributed a great deal to my personal development and I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to them. Even though you may not be fully aware of this, I think that what you are doing here has very, very much historical value for posterity. Your detailing testifies to great devotion to art and its artists, and I share your views and criticisms most of the time equally. Incidentally, I was quite overwhelmed by the picture "The War" at first sight. That one is now one of my favorites. Keep it up and best regards from the beautiful Austria.
Great vid. Loved it. Otto certainly caught the spirit of the time.
Best art channel on UA-cam hands down 😅 👑
I remember my art teacher showing us otto dix in class. i've been obsessed ever since
This video sparked a really deep conversation with my husband. We watch your videos together and talk about the paintings as you bring them up and offer each other our views on them. Thanks for making our evenings more rich and interesting! 😊
Regarding sex work in Weimar-era Germany, yep, there was a huge increase due in large part to the economic collapse after WWI. Office jobs and such just weren't paying enough to get by, so a lot of people turned to sex work to supplement their income. I recommend the book Voluptuous Panic by Mel Gordon to anyone interested in the culture around sex and gender in inter-war Germany.
Loved that book... Great pictures
As a St. Louis resident, I always loved seeing Max Beckman paintings around.
It's good to learn about other German Expressionist painters from the same era.
Otto Dix's work blew my mind when I saw it as a student. So Stark and so unflinching! Not like most art at the time.
Such a great video - thanks
Thank you for making these. I know it not easy, so I really appreciate it. 👍
I would absolutely love to have several of these prints. What an underrated artist, period
Thank you for doing otto dix! One of my favorites!
Suggesting Yayoi Kusama before the comments are flooded
I could actually cry right now, I had forgotten her name and could not figure out how to find her work besides stringing weird adjectives into Google like 'beautiful room artist' which wasn't working at all!! Oh my god thank you for giving me back this artist's name, I am so so thankful
@@natgrafton5138 Yay I'm so glad! She has an infinity room installment in the Phoenix Art Museum ✨ That's how I was introduced
@@natgrafton5138 That's wonderful! She has a permanent Infinity room installation at the Phoenix Art museum ✨ I feel incredibly lucky to have seen it
In the late 80's a month before the Berlin wall came down I was in Stuttgart and saw the huge Triptych of Metropolis by Otto Dix in the museum there and was blown away. I'd never experienced art like this before. It influenced me to become a painter.
This channel has led me to another Artist that I wasn't aware of, thank you. Love the channel
The match box seller without legs whilst all around him legs being used. Three people walking past, just legs visible. Also dog cocking his leg, refering to used up soldier having no value.
Love this channel it calms me and edicates me in one
I love Dix's art. It reminds me of Ralph Steadman's illustrations for "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas".
So wonderful how you summed it up at the end , ' How to live and how to be sure to die with a smile in your heart ! Great work as always! Thank you.
Tout simplement la meilleure vidéo descriptive à propos de l'oeuvre de Dix que j'ai vue sur le site. Bravo ! Vous avez fait du très bon travail.
When I went to the MOMA, to my surprise, I saw that they had Dix's "Dr. Mayer-Hermann. I made my G.F. at the time take like a whole bunch of pics because I didn't have a digital camera. They came out GREAT! The detail of the rust and grime of the room the doctor was in looked fantastic. My G.F. couldn't believe something done in 1926 could look like that. When i asked a sales clerk at the enormous gift store for any posters or products of Dix, they didn't know who he was or the god-damn painting they have! No one knew! The store was filled with the more colorful, popular works for the "normal public". And I didn't get any copies of the pics my g.f. took. 😭
HONEY WAKE UP ANOTHER VIDEO JUST DROPPED!!!!!! .. I got so happy when I opened UA-cam and saw you had posted. I deeply enjoy your videos and my autistic a** usually will rewatch them multiple times. Thank you for the hard work you put into your channel!!!
Glad he got to live to see the impact he had. Counterculture art, political caricature, underground comix, all owe a lot to Dix. Also, glad to see him recapture a sense of innocence in his late work, with his grandchildren. Made me tear up.
Wow what awesomely dark art by a very troubled man! I think he may be my favourite artist. Well done @blind dweller, really well made video as always ! ❤
Good video. One Dix painting I remember is the portrait of Dr. Meyer-Hermann. Surprised that it wasn't depicted here as its pretty famous representation of hyper-realism. Its one of his less grotesque pieces of the strange obese man. I also like Max Ernst and Oskar Kokoschka. They are great Austro-German artists.
Another wonderfully made video! Thank you as always.
Thanks so much mate, was really eager to get this video out after such a long time of not uploading. Glad you enjoyed it dude 😁
A very well done presentation on the compelling work of Otto Dix.
Germany had some incredible, innovative artists in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Nazis marginalized them their quest for a perfect world. It's disturbing to me that people today throw around the word the Nazis used to describe those artists ("degenerate") as an insult. It's a sign of the times. The work of Otto Dix is still relevant in today's time of economic inequality, social upheaval, and neo-eugenics. We can see the matchbook seller in every major city in the United States, and many other countries around the world
TS 1:03:20 this I think is my favorite amongst all shown & TS 1:08:04 as well. Thank You *Blind Dweller* for your continued education
I knew the Der Kreig etchings and triptych, but I hadn't seen Dix's other works, great video
His drawings of the Great War are so eerie yet so fascinating
I really love the first painting showed. I think she could also possibly be mourning things she will never have because of the choice she made. I would really like to see it in person
Brilliant video, as always
His art is fascinating. Glad to see you cover his story. Can’t wait to see where you go next!
WOW! Already the introduction completely killed me. You nailed it on the spot!
thanks for the video, im meeting this new great artist. good looking his paintings fulfilled of meanings
Middle school would be anguishing for anyone with a last name like “Dix.”
Or "Pecker".
Kid.
Will you be covering the Drawings from The Gulag by Danzig Baldaev?
The Nun, looks to be about sacrifice. Giving up worldly desires for a life enclosed in orders. Key to this is the eyes looking away from the wound but toward the figure on the right. The crucifix is up high on the left and the building closed in to indicate a suggestion of rejection. Maybe the nun is in a regretful state. As the drama all takes place within the frame of the building there is no escape from mixed feelings.
fascinating artist...the truth of war through the eyes of an artist
I dont think an artist knows the truth of war but they can sure paint a nice picture
55:25. Personally, I see the representation of the soldiers and prostitutes as a slight dig towards the prostitutes. Two occupations where you sell your body to the highest bidder and will always be at the bottom of a capitalist system. There should be solidarity between the two, but the prostitutes' repulsion creates a divide instead.
The degrading depictions of prostitutes wasn't too good. I know we are not supposed to view the past through the current lens but it's is still annoying. Not much has changed though, sex workers are still classed as second class citizens and unfairly blamed for various issues
Valentine, the artist at the end was magnificent , on par with any on here
I was looking forward to this so much!! Thank you!!!
Absolutely wonderful.
Great work!
OH MY GOD I REMEMBER THIS PAINTING I KNEW THAT ARTIST NAME SOUNDED FAMILIAR 20:02 it was on my art book from high school which i always browsed when i was bored, this piece saddened and disgusted me a lot even without knowing the context :((
Here in stuttgart theres a really nice collection in our art museum of him
Never heard of him but, this Guy is fucking awesome.I mean I knew his name but I had never seen any of his work boy I am impressed and I would say that I've looked at more artwork than most people
Always fabulous
12:59 @mhunt1094 mentioned the “vulva” image in The Nun being a yonic medieval wound in Christ’s side, which I agree is quite plausible. However, I think it’s very like Hildegard Von Bingen’s 1165 illustration Vision I Part 3: “God, Cosmos, and Humanity” in her work “Scivias.” She drew a model of these 3 things that very much look like the anatomy of a vulva. Having that cosmological and metaphysical image opposite the very earthly and fleshly pregnant woman could represent the two directions the nun is being pulled.
Once again you've amazed me with another awesome Artists Work. Thank You Blind Dweller
Am curious as to whether you've ever had an interest in Artists who draw Rock Concert Posters like: Stanley Mouse, Alton Kelley, Rick Griffin, Wes Wilson, and Victor Moscoso. Very interesting Artists with wonderful artistic talent
You beat me to it! That's a swell suggestion.
That Ellis painting is utterly haunting
Awesome work. A pictorial of the horror of terror in leadership and it's minions.
Great video!
Dix is truly fascinating. How was the dachshund seen after WWI? Common mans dog? Dog of the nobility?
A suggestion for an artist to feature could be Otto Frello, could see his post apocalyptic, yet happy, paintings be of interest to the viewers of your awesome channel.
I would love to see you do one on Judith Scott. she really is amazing and not to many people know of her.
I believe the artwork at 1:10:37 was an attempt at a more palatable version of the previous painting. I believe many of the same symbols arise in both paintings. I do believe scythe makes the symbol with the tree in this painting as well.
When I was young, I loved the black paintings by Goya. Those paintings were very well depicted about the horrors of war.
They were not cartoonish claptrap that doesn't get to the heart
of agony because of poor and amateurish depiction..
Also, in the triumph of death, the red cape and folliage in the background form a rose
I love and appreciate your work brother. I’m sure you’ve heard of Franz Von Stuck. Would love to see a video on him and some of his works. Especially his painting, Lucifer
How did I not learn about this artist sooner
There is so much going on in the Prague Street. In front of the man missing his legs, appears to be another fake hand grasping a cane. Above that, a hand dropping a coin into the hand of the other footless veteran. With a trailing string, leading behind the legless veteran, to an uncolored hand, ready to snatch it away? Also the display window in the background has limbs in the window. Prosthetics? Is the little girl writing on the wall with white chalk? She stands on a torn paper with more writing, and the image of a man in a hat on it...
The items displayed in the background window are indeed prosthetic limbs. You have to look very closely to locate it, but the artist sneakily inserted a photo of his own face between the light-colored prostheses in the right hand corner. What the kid is up to remains a mystery to me. Probably nothing good.
Mind if I ask what the background music is during the War pictures (starting at 42:00)?
I tried Shazam and nothing came up. And there's nothing in the description.
always appreciate your insight! keep up the good work
Was just watching some stuff recently on him, very glad to watch this now another Blind Dweller banger.
Makes me so happy everytime you post, also where are you from? ;P
Over an hour of that narration voice….. uh….. Nah. Gonna bail early. I’ll give it a thumbs up though.
my fav channel
Thank you. I'm heading to MOMA!
It's a damn shame the glut of ads renders this unwatchable. I would have enjoyed it.
"...But the 'real'--what assaults the eye before the eye begins its work of selection--is never on the verge of dissolution , still less of appropriation. The real is raw, jarring, unexpected, sometimes trashy, sometimes luminous. Above all, the real is arbitrary. For to be a realist (in art or in life) is to acknowledge that all things might be other than they are. That there is no design, no intention, no aesthetic or moral or teleological imprimatur but, rather, the equivalent of Darwin's great vision of a blind, purposeless, ceaseless evolutionary process that yields no 'products'---only temporary strategies against extinction. Yet, being human, we think: To what purpose those broken-off things, if not gathered up, at last, into a single ecstatic vision?'"
----Joyce Carol Oates, "They All Just Went Away"
In "Mother and Child" it looks like a face peering through the dark. Maybe I'm just seeing things😊
The greatest mistake i ever made was that, that i underestimated myself...
Artists like this make it horribly clear that i understand this.
What is One Punch Man doing to that lady at 50:33 ???
he could have painted modern america and his paintings wouldnt look much different, different symbols, same fascism
First year in college?
Old eight cox was pretty disturbed
great video you're the best
The Triumph of Death picture doesn't depict an old man on the ground as you describe but a war victim with two wooden stumps for legs, a bloated face and blind eyes. This is far from a typical "cycle of life" picture.
Does Hans Bellmer count as an artist?
How about a video on Margaret Keane ?
Love your channel ⚡
35:40 Noel Fielding! It's uncanny.
Yessss new video :))
I just have to give my opinion on this nun painting. First things first - I am an art historian, but modern art isn't really my field of work. But you know what is? (Medieval) religious art. So naturally I have some thoughts about this nun painting that I can't keep to myself. My first thoughts didn't even include any war-themes. I see a contemplative nun, maybe emotionally torn, maybe coping, maybe at peace, maybe all of the above at the same time. The combination of Jesus and sexuality especially in catholic sisterhood is super prominent. Devoted catholic women are very often portrayed as brides of Christ, even Mary is pictured as mother and bride at the same time, either as a symbol for the church itself or just as - a woman. Keeping the importance of virginity in mind, the church has done just - so much to keep lust and desires in check, especially when it comes to women. So to keep this rant from turning into a 5 page essay - this painting screams horny nun to me. Horny nun, that is either genuinely horny for Jesus or trying to project her desires onto him. Maybe she is pregnant, maybe she was, maybe she just wants to be. Maybe she's delulu and views herself as the next Virgin Mary, maybe she is Mary and not a regular nun at all. (What I need to mention: The Vulva-Mandorla is such an excellent element, I absolutely love it. Very much not subtle, yet excellent execution, 10/10 xD)
There is a skull in the lightbulb of the Scatt Players.
You should do a video on Raymond Pettibon.