The National Socialist arts policy denounced Otto Dix (18911969) and his verist oeuvre for "endangering public morality" and "adversely affecting the fighting spirit of the German people." Dix reacted by becoming a painter who oscillated in motifs and style between conservatism and critical commentary, and sought recognition despite being defamed. This forced, radical artistic transformation also led to "concealed," in part subversive or contradictory iconographies, to which this book is dedicated. The painter's art is analyzed against the backdrop of developments in the arts policy in Germany and the Weimar Republic until into the postwar period; all genreslandscapes, portraits, and (Christian) figurative picturesare examined.

Ina Jessen, Dieter Roth Museum and University of Hamburg.