World War I gave rise to new and surprising emotions, especially among painters. Also called "The Great War," it lasted four years and caused the deaths of 8 million. The empires of Germany, Austria-Hungary and Russia had collapsed. It was the first industrial war, with advances in technology, mass production and new human and economic resources. After the war, Europe had emerged as if it was tired, scared and brutally modernized. Because the war was a catalyst of revolution, it foreshadowed some after-effects that are still with us today.
Most of the artists who have portrayed the facts of war in their paintings were surrealists, impressionalists or functionalists. In their own unique ways, they showed the struggles, patriotism, etc of the war in their paintings.
The painting above, by Otto Dix, is called 'Sturmtruppe geht unter Gas,' (Stormtroops advancing under gas) and it depicts the horror of the poisonous gas used in battle(by the frightening masks, and the apparant struggle of the soldiers). Dix himself at one point in his life was affected by the many sights of war, as he was once part of the German army. He was seriously wounded several times, and he reported that he had several recurring nightmares afterwards. His experiences were depicted in paintings like this.
image from www.moma.org
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