2020 IB Extended Essays

11

from the romantic period, would be a piece in a realistic style and have refined details, the complete opposite of Nolde’s Die Brücke art style.

Depictions of War The depiction of war in art was heavily censored by the Nazi regime. The most well-known examples of this censorship were with Otto Dix. Dix was a German painter and printmaker who was renowned for his depictions of the horrors of war and the depictions of German society, two subjects that were not the most welcome in the

Figure 6: “The Trench” by Otto Dix, 1924 (oil on canvas, 227cmx250cm)

state of Nazi Germany. His most famous piece, “The Trench”, was created in 1924 and is famously described by Alfred H. Barr, the leading American curator of 1931, as “perhaps the most famous picture in post-war Europe… a masterpiece of unspeakable horror” (Lee, 2016). Through its destruction, a powerful statement regarding the impacts of war was lost to later generations. The piece was revolutionary as it did not glorify World War I nor did it heroise the soldiers. The art regarding war at the time all praised the soldiers that fought for their country and focused on pride and honour, however, Dix’s approach exposed the terrors of war to a visual audience. Analysis of “The Trench” by Otto Dix “The Trench” depicts the aftermath of a battle during the first world war, most likely based off Otto Dix’s own experiences serving in the war. What made this piece so iconic was its ambiguity. Dix uses blurring in certain sections of the triptych to avert clarity, insinuating that these battles did not just leave people dead, but