Second Company is Relieved Tonight, from War

While some of Otto Dix’s works show the soldier persevering against all odds, others point to the futility of such efforts. This dark image contrasts in its technique with those that preceded it, emphasizing its different perspective. The gloom and obscurity are conjured up by the confused status of the soldiers themselves—neither alive nor dead, active nor passive. The confusion of war would have contrasted sharply with the heroic image of national sacrifice promoted by conservative interests in 1924, as Germans celebrated the 10th anniversary of the beginning of the war in 1914.