1955.37 George Grosz, Junkers Officer

GENERAL DESCRIPTION  
Hannah Arendt, the German political philosopher, recalled that for her generation, Grosz's drawings "seemed to us not satires but realistic reportage: we knew those types, they were all around us." His drawing of a Prussian military officer demonstrates how Grosz could balance an image on the knife-edge between portrait and caricature. The officer's sneering brow, deeply hooded eyes, fleshy chin, and prominent veins describe both a particular individual and his social class, the grotesque features of the man signaling the reactionary militarism of the group. Reviewing Grosz's work at the First International Dada Fair in Berlin in 1920, a critic observed, "If drawings could kill, then the Prussian military would surely be dead by now."

Adapted from
Heather MacDonald, Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2012), 16-17.

NOTES
Created in 1927

Object File Reviewed

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
Place of origin: Berlin (Germany): TGN: 7003712

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Until 1955: Leon A. Harris, Jr. (1926-2000)
From 1955: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Leon A. Harris, Jr. [1]

[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

AUDIO ASSETS 
UMO: 13310104   Reflections on George Grosz, Gallery talk with Marty Grosz, George Grosz's son
UMO: 13316211   Politics as Art: Grosz's Influence on Political Cartooning

VIDEO ASSETS

IMAGE ASSETS

WEB RESOURCES 
  • Tate, London~Learn more about the life and works of George Grosz at the Tate.
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum~This watercolor was created in Germany between the World Wars. Read about the Weimar Republic, the name of the German government during this period.

ARCHIVAL RESOURCES

FUN FACTS

TEACHING IDEAS

RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1955.37

Category
rules_operator
AND
General Description
 
Hannah Arendt, the German political philosopher, recalled that for her generation, Grosz's drawings "seemed to us not satires but realistic reportage: we knew those types, they were all around us." His drawing of a Prussian military officer demonstrates how Grosz could balance an image on the knife-edge between portrait and caricature. The officer's sneering brow, deeply hooded eyes, fleshy chin, and prominent veins describe both a particular individual and his social class, the grotesque features of the man signaling the reactionary militarism of the group. Reviewing Grosz's work at the First International Dada Fair in Berlin in 1920, a critic observed, "If drawings could kill, then the Prussian military would surely be dead by now."

Adapted from
Heather MacDonald, Flower of the Prairie: George Grosz in Dallas (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art, 2012), 16-17.

Fun Facts

Archival Resources

Web Resources
 
  • Tate, London~Learn more about the life and works of George Grosz at the Tate.
  • United States Holocaust Memorial Museum~This watercolor was created in Germany between the World Wars. Read about the Weimar Republic, the name of the German government during this period.

Notes
Created in 1927

Object File Reviewed

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
Place of origin: Berlin (Germany): TGN: 7003712

Process/materials

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 
Until 1955: Leon A. Harris, Jr. (1926-2000)
From 1955: Dallas Museum of Art, gift of Leon A. Harris, Jr. [1]

[1] The name of the Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, founded in 1933, was changed to the Dallas Museum of Art in 1983.

AUDIO ASSETS 
UMO: 13310104   Reflections on George Grosz, Gallery talk with Marty Grosz, George Grosz's son
UMO: 13316211   Politics as Art: Grosz's Influence on Political Cartooning

VIDEO ASSETS

rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1955.37
tags
#draft
standing: AAT: 300239500
men: AAT: 300025928
*American Art
@Russell
mouths (animal or human components): DMA
Grosz_George: ULAN: 500014558
13310104: UMO
collars (neckwear): AAT: 300210058
portrait: AAT: 300015637
Berlin (Germany): TGN: 7003712
eyes (animal or human components): AAT: 300400484
noses (animal or human components): DMA
military uniforms: AAT: 300248030
watercolor (paint): AAT: 300015045
buttons (fasteners): AAT: 300239261
watercolors (paintings): AAT: 300078925
officer (military): AAT: 300236210
caricatures: AAT: 300015634
line drawings (drawings): AAT: 300100194
Prussia: TGN: 7016786
uniforms: AAT: 300212393
pockets (costume components): AAT: 300210517
13316211: UMO
badges: AAT: 300193994
source file
object_notes_3_a-0332.xml.nores