Otto Dix: Wounded Soldier (1924)

            Like Thulstrip, Otto Dix experienced war on a first hand account. In the trenches of Germany in World War One, Dix was volunteered for the position of a non commissioned officer of a machine gun unit. As an NCO, Dix was responsible for being the most visible leader to the infantry during missions and training sessions (“Otto Dix”). As a member of the machine gun unit, Dix was bound to see death and killing on a frequent basis. Despite technological innovations such as the tank, the bomber plane, the submarine, and poison gas, the main factor that caused the 10 million deaths was the machine gun (World War One). This had a profound impact on Dix, causing him to later join the Dadaism movement after the war, creating art that questioned the results, impacts, and causes of war (“Otto Dix”). Did the ends really justify the means? Was war worth it? During his time in the service he had suffered an injury to the neck that proved to be almost fatal, forever changing his outlook on life itself (“Otto Dix”) (National Gallery of Australia).

           In his etching of “Wounded Soldier” Dix shows the face of a soldier whose face has an expression of fear and confusion streaked across it. With a mouth wide open, he almost seems to be screaming in pain and confusion: possibly a look that one gives when they know they are about to die. The fingers of his right hand clutch desperately at his heart, giving one the impression that he is either suffering from a heart attack or has just been shot within that proximity. The face of the infantryman is also scarred and scabbed, a result of the harsh conditions of trench life. Another thing to take note of is the helmet on the soldiers head. In World War One, the typical soldier wore a metal helmet that had no markings or patterns on it (“Stalhelm”). Yet, on this soldiers helmet, there is a distinct amorphous smear that resembles dirt and dried blood, indicating that this soldier has seen his fair share of blood, sweat, and tears. According to Dix himself, the reason that he volunteered for the war effort was that so he could see for himself, the truths and realities of war (National Gallery of Australia). At the time, people all over Europe were excited about going to war, expecting the entirety of it all to be over by Christmas (Duiker 630). But the works of Dix illustrate the foolishness of those people and the cold realities of war. Because of the war, Dix suffered PTSD which helped inspire and push his work forward. Haunted by nightmares and memories, Dix tried to show the true costs of war, in hopes that they would prevent yet another manmade disaster (National Gallery of Australia).