“Otto Dix. Otto Dix War Cripples (1920)” by yakovlev. alexey/ CC BY
A comparison that was found between the George Grosz, Otto Dix, and Cornelia Schleime was that their art was depicting conflict from the government. In Otto Dix’s work, he would paint scenes of war that were gruesome and dark. He was trying to show how terrible war was and how he was scared from his time serving in World War I. In Cornelia’s work, she would make fun of her Stasi file. She would have the actual words that were in the file but she would add-in her own pictures that would make fun of what the words were saying.
The reason why any art is done varies. It is different for every person. Some of the street art we found had obvious political messages. Some of the street art had a less obvious message. Cornelia Schleime’s work was never politically motivated. It was all about her moving on and processing. Her art was how she expressed herself and when the GDR took her right to display her art away she felt suffocated and oppressed. Her motivation was never to get the GDR to change. Her art was a representation of how she felt living in East Berlin. Alternatively, George Grosz was extremely politically motivated. His art was his commentary on society, and he actively wanted to change it. Otto Dix was very anti-war as he experienced the horrors of war first hand. His art showed his opinion of war and often included grotesque and realistic depictions of war. Art is a means of expression. It has functioned as such and continues to function the same way. From the times of Otto Dix and George Grosz to the modern day street art that surrounds us, the function of art has stayed the same. It allows people to have a voice and express themselves. Each artist is another voice adding to the conversation. Regardless of whether they are a paid artist or a street artist, their works send a message to the viewers. Street art is unique because the accumulated voices and city-wide conversation is often recorded all in one place, on a wall or building, etc. A collection of graffiti is as much a reflection of the city’s thoughts as a local art gallery might be, and in this way, professional and non-professional art are not all that different. Art always works in a similar way, and so Weimar art and modern art are not so different either.