The Dancer Anita Berber

The artist Otto Dix fought in world war 1, creating pieces of art to replicate the horrors he had seen. Dix then specialised in painting society pieces, painting people of the art movement. In 1925 Dix created the painting 'The dancer Anita Berber'. 

Otto Dix. Bildnis der Tänzerin Anita Berber, 1925. Viewed 25/10/14

'In a skin-tight, fire-engine-red dress that reveals every curve of her body, she accentuates her sexuality by caressing her hip with one hand and gesturing towards her genitalia with the other' (Funkenstein, Susan. 2005 vol:26 iss:1 pg:26 -31) 

Anita Berber, the epitome of femme fatale in 1920 Weimer Berlin. A young woman who came to Berlin to dance, later dancing naked for those in the popular bars. But how was Anita Berber different from the many young girls seeking attention? Berber took her lifestyle to the extreme; tried every drug imaginable, died her hair a shocking red, married a gay man and performed erotic dances leaving little to the imagination. It is strange that Otto Dix has painted Anita Berber clothed, when most of her time was spent fully naked. Why is this? Especially a roll necked dress? Perhaps the dress was painted to create a more feminine persona, to conceal what should be saved for the stage. However, the dress itself is more like a drape over the skin, pulling tight across the chest, belly and arms. The dress is acting as a second skin, showing Berber's true colours. The colour of red could here signify lust and danger and sexual power. The darkest part of the dress is around the genitals, where Berber has her hand leading the eye towards in a claw like manner. The claw could represent her sexual ways with the saying, she would have got her claws into you. The background orange tones in the painting make it seem as though there is fire behind Berber, lighting her figure and pulling out her silhouette from the lust of the background. The orange blended to red could signify the heat and intensity of Berbers personality. The intensity reflects in the makeup around the eye, perhaps used to entice the audience towards Berber, the eyes made smaller and squinted to make the audience fall in love with her. Like most women in Berlin in the 20's, Anita Berbers' hair was cut short into a fashionable bob creating a androgynous look. Berber then died her hair a bright red colour perhaps to create differences between herself and other leading ladies like Clara Bow. Eventually Berbers lifestyle caught up with her in 1928 at the age of 29.