George Grosz
1893 Berlin, Germany
1959 Berlin, Germany

Der Liebeskranke
Sick of Love
1916
Oil on canvas
Acquired 1979

George Grosz was regarded as an enfant terrible by Berlin society. He liked to shock onlookers with his attire and powdered face like a death mask, and he called himself “Graf Ehrenfried.” In this painting, the last guest sitting in the Café des Westens in Berlin is the artist himself, surrounded by the utensils of his addiction. In his breast pocket is a gun, which was part of his getup as king of the lowlifes and someone tired of living. The ostentatious decadence of the morbid dandy must have seemed like a slap in the face for the soldiers serving on the front in the war year of 1916. The plunging perspectives, distorted proportions, and caricature-like exaggerations used by Grosz are essential stylistic elements of Expressionism. The dynamic spatial representation also alludes to Futurism, without its enthusiasm for the big city and its faith in technology.

thank’s joe lol