Otto Dix

The magician conjures an illusion familiar to audiences of this period: the Human Spider, an act first developed by Henry Roltair, whose hall of illusions was featured in the Barnum & Bailey Circus. Otto Dix’s heavy use of drypoint, a printmaking technique that results in soft-edged lines, adds a dreamlike quality to this image, heightening its mystery.

In the wake of World War I, Dix used his artwork to critique German bourgeois society. He felt great sympathy for circus performers and others on the fringe of society. This print is one in a portfolio of ten etchings which included images of trick riders, a tattooed lady, and an animal tamer.