Otto Dix

Graphisches Kabinett, Berlin

Between 1922 and 1923 Otto Dix produced a number of watercolours, mostly depicting women.  The artist was neither interested in depciting beautiful or idealised images of his sitters, nor in recording their individual characteristics.  Rather, he found his models in the demi-monde and bohemian world of the metropolis, and depicted them as social types.  The present work is a striking example of Dix's critical studies of modern society, capturing the elegantly dressed lady in a seductive pose, looking away from the viewer.  Although the background is rendered in broad monochrome brush strokes and with no specific details, her vibrant blue dress and the red divan hint at the environment of a night club or a cabaret.