OTTO DIX (1891 Untermhaus bei Gera - 1969 Sin... Lot n° 28

Portrait Martha Koch to the left Pencil on wove paper (papier vélin). Circa 1922. 43,4 x 35,4 cm. Signed "Dix" in pencil lower left. Lorenz 7.0.6. This sheet contains, alas, two souls: On the front Dix draws the doe-eyed profile of his lover and later wife Martha in pencil with feather-light strokes, signs it likewise and in large letters, as if the lady were already his. On the reverse side, designed by the artist Otto Griebel, an almost sheet-filling frontal face with wide open eyes and open mouth seeks direct confrontation with the viewer, who immediately shares the unknown horror. If the gaze detaches itself from the hypnotizing pupils of the protagonist, it becomes aware of the caricature-like male figure on the left side of the picture. Behind the accurately parted smoker with the deep-set eyes, the friend and studio neighbor Otto Dix can be recognized. The dated and signed work can probably be understood as a direct response to the one overleaf. The sheet is probably a page from the guest book of Dr. Fritz Glaser. The art-minded Dresden lawyer was an avid collector of expressionist works, as well as a great friend and patron of local artists, whom he regularly received in his home. In addition to individual drawings, the guestbook entries include many collaborative works by artists such as Dix, Griebel, Vollmer, and others.