Predictably, this year the media attention on World War I is proving to be very intense.


As I was perusing some of the newspapers this morning I stumbled upon an article featuring the work of one Otto Dix...


Otto Dix was a German artist known for his work depicting the realities of Weimar society and the brutality of war.


He was one of the most important artists in what came to be known as Neue Sachlichkeit (New Objectivity), a term describing certain facets of German culture and artistic expression in Weimar Germany.


 This article shows a series of prints from Dix's Der Krieg collection, from 1924.


The images are brutal and arresting. The two that stood out the most to me were 'Crater field near Dontrien lit up by flares' and 'Mealtime in the Trenches'.


Although they are not what one would call beautiful pieces of art, I think they really bring home the gritty and gruesome reality of the war for ordinary soldiers on the ground - Dix had first-hand experience, serving from 1915-1918 and earning an Iron Cross after fighting in the German Spring Offensive.


Have a look through the etchings and let me know what you think.