Otto Dix

Otto Dix 1891-1969

Otto Dix - The Businessman Max Roesberg, Dresden 1922

oil on canvas

Using his customary three-quarter view, Dix locates Roesberg in his office, which is soberly decorated in greens and browns, the colors of commerce and money. Telling details anchor the sitter firmly in his business day: the wall clock, the daily tear-off calendar, the mail-order catalog that he holds, and the stamped letter to Otto Dix on his blotter. The sleek black and silver telephone brings a whiff of cosmopolitan flavor into this small-town office. Fastidiously groomed, Roesberg, sporting a clipped mustache and cropped salt-and-pepper hair, exudes alertness and cunning, but seems without malice.