By Kim Se-jeong
Staff Reporter
What's the impact of war on the life of a human being?
Obviously not so good, and the evidence is not so difficult to find.
Veterans who come back from the battlefield or civilians who have lived in disorientation, escaping bombs and physical assaults show post-trauma syndrome, not being able to remove the tragic memories.
That's what happened to German artist Otto Dix (1891-1969).
He had first-hand experience of both World War I and World War II.
Inhumanity and the cruelty of war had certainly affected on him, both personally and professionally.
The impact on his personal life isn't widely known, at least it couldn't be found for this article. The impact professionally is clear, as currently shown at Seoul National University's Museum of Art.
Organized by the Goethe Institute and the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations in Germany, an exhibition of nearly 80 prints and paintings produced between 1920 and 1924 opened early last month.
According to those who were involved in the preparations, Korea was chosen as the place for the Asian premiere because of the 60th anniversary of the outbreak of the 1950-53 Korean War this year.
The war turned him into a realist, to whom his old expressionistic approach no longer carried meaning.
``I had to experience everything very precisely. I am such a realist, you know, that I have to see everything with my own eyes,'' Dix was once quoted as saying.
Also, ``artists should not reform and convert. They're much too low. They should only testify.''
On the battlefield (1915-1918), Dix drew portraits of himself and his comrades. He also depicted dead bodies that were scattered or piled up. As soon as he had a handful of drawings, he hurriedly mailed them to his girlfriend in Dresden.
When he returned home in 1918, he began producing significant prints, particularly from 1920.
He also depicted the abhorrent consequence of war, by drawing crippled soldiers and the rampant prostitutes on the street.
The reason he chose to copy original drawings onto a stone or metal plate for print could be found again in his quote: ``This simpler medium provides a much more penetrating, incisive means of expression.''
His decision certainly had the advantage -- whether he intended it or not -- of duplication, which eventually contributed to promoting his works and a pronounced anti-war message.
The exhibition will be open until May 30 in Seoul, and will then travel to the Museum of Contemporary Art in Daejeon. For more information, visit www.snumoa.org.