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Analysis : ' Shock Troops Advance Under Gas ' Essay

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In Otto Dix’s “Shock Troops Advance Under Gas”, Dix presents the brutality of war for everyone to see. From the barbed wire snagging a troop’s arm to the gas masks, this work illustrates true horror. Dix’s illustration of war helps display that war truly is not something to write home about with pride. Thus, I present the argument that war is not something to be patriotic over, and it is not something we should be thanking the troops for. They are brave individuals, but the duties they perform are not – they are the product of cowardly nations. The purpose of this paper is to convey my personal feelings towards this work, war and how it is not the answer, and tying in my visit to the McNay Art Museum back to aspects of war.

This work evoked strong fascination within me – I have always been fascinated with war. I have also specifically been particularly fascinated with gas masks and the concept of trench warfare. Dix’s portrayal of the battlefield from his first-hand experience in fighting in this war comes off as extremely grim; from the presence of barbed wire to what is left of a tree on the right side that gives off an appearance similar to that of Satan’s pitchfork, Dix is giving off a graphic representation of war that is blatantly grisly – he is not hiding the fact that there is death along the battlefront and it is something that is occurring in massive proportions. Deriving from that observation, killing others is nothing to be proud of. It is essentially murder,

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