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Background (Hintergrund)

George Grosz American, born Germany
Publisher Der Malik Verlag German
1928 (prints made in 1927)
Not on view
Regarding his opposition to the war, Grosz wrote "War meant horror, mutilation, annihilation. Did not many wise people feel the same way?" Produced ten years after the armistice, and based on his set designs for Erwin Piscator’s 1928 stage production of The Adventures of The Good Soldier Schwejk, the series presents the devastating effects of the war on the land and its inhabitants—something Grosz, who served as an infantry soldier, knew well. While artists such as Otto Dix focused primarily on soldiers’ experiences, Grosz expanded his critique to institutions such as the government and the church that supported nationalistic rhetoric and stoked the enthusiasm for combat. Hintergrund includes images of skeletons in military uniforms on the battlefield, mass graves, executions, and Christ on the cross wearing a gas mask; Grosz was consequently tried for "insulting institutions of the Church," and many of the Hintergrund portfolios were confiscated and destroyed.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Background (Hintergrund)
  • Artist: George Grosz (American (born Germany), Berlin 1893–1959 Berlin)
  • Publisher: Der Malik Verlag
  • Date: 1928 (prints made in 1927)
  • Medium: Seventeen photolithographs with a printed portfolio
  • Dimensions: Each sheet: 6 5/8 × 10 7/8 in. (16.8 × 27.6 cm)
  • Classifications: Portfolios, Prints
  • Credit Line: Purchase, Janice Carlson Oresman Gift, 2017
  • Object Number: 2017.53(1–18)
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

More Artwork

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A Little Yes and A Big No: The Autobiography of George Grosz
Multiple artists/makers
1946
Das Neue Gesicht der Herrschenden Klasse
George Grosz
1930
Das Neue Gesicht der Herrschenden Klasse
George Grosz
1921
Trees and Underbrush, Cape Cod, George Grosz American, born Germany, Watercolor with brush and black ink on paper
Trees and Underbrush, Cape Cod
George Grosz
1939
New York Harbor, George Grosz American, born Germany, Watercolor and ink on paper
New York Harbor
George Grosz
1936

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