The transformation of the city into a vast metropolis was one of the subjects that most fascinated early twentieth-century painters, and Grosz was no exception. One of the many artists anxious to capture these rapid, constant changes, he painted this vision of Berlin at the height of the First World War in an Expressionist style in which red is the dominant colour. In it he uses Cubist and Futurist devices, a very rigid perspective and overlapping figures to convey the frenzied pace of city life. Yet whereas other painters provide a highly optimistic interpretation, Grosz—marked by his personal wartime experience—offers us an apocalyptic vision, stressing the alienation of man as he plunges headlong towards self-destruction.
都市闹市区展现出快速而疯狂扩张的城市化步伐,重叠拥挤的人群表达出被迫困守于既定的机械生活模式,表情或贪婪或困惑,立体派与未来主义手法穿插运用,僵硬的透视线条,恐怖的红色渲染着狂躁压抑的氛围,提供了一个启发性视野,强调人类因为自我毁灭所陷困境导致人性的疏离。
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