Creative Writing Essay Example on Images as Inspiration: The Skat Players

The image in question is titled The Skat Players and was done by Otto Dix after the First World War. This was during the 1920s and is a collage technique and oil painting that was done on canvas. It is physically 110 by 87 centimeters in size and was done in a portrait format. This painting is found at the Nationalgalerie, Staatliche Museen in the Berlin town the capital city of Germany. The image shows three card players who happen to be war veterans from their appearance. They are doing this at night which is evident from the lighted street lamp placed in the background. It is apparent that they have no other activity to involve themselves in due to their physical limitations other than to play cards. At such times most of the people outside are either dancing or visiting various pubs drinking the night away depending on their economic might. The ones indoors will be on their beds resting after a busy day waiting to take on the next one with other activities. Having been dismembered they were spending most of their times idling as they were not in a position to take part in other activities.

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The author Otto Dix is one of the people who experienced the war first hand and was not happy with the after events. Dix started artwork at an early age and as a result of having visited German and French exhibitions, he was influenced by their Impressionist and Cubist forms. This was to be seen in his works after the First World War where he had been involved as a machine gunner. He did this by using his paintings to express his dissatisfaction with the situation at the time and portraying the instability that followed the war. His love for and readiness to accept everything that happens to him is what led him to voluntarily join the war.

The three men are the point of focus of the painting other than the numerous items representing the state of affairs at the time. The man on the right-hand side used to be a soldier, and he still donned the clothing to indicate this fact and an Iron Cross First Class is visible on his attire. The one on the left-hand side is a symbol of capitalism and finance who were the opponents to the soldier. The one in the middle is a depiction of the different classes in the society with him being one of the privileged few that belonged to the noble class. They are all fitted with prosthetic limbs with parts of their bodies missing and others wounded from the war. This is a clear indication that war is nonselective, and it does harm everyone irrespective of their position, profession or class within the society.

The piece of work tells a story of the state of affairs at the time following the war which was not admirable by all standards from the painting. It leaves people wounded, immobile and with little to do other than to idle around. War is an ugly affair that leaves a people desolate, helpless, poorer and fully reliant on others. The painting seems to scream that war has drastic effects and needs to be avoided at all costs.