Draussen un Drinnen (Outside and Inside) by George Grosz

This is George Grosz's Draussen und Drinnen (Outside and Inside). When I caught sight of this painting at the beginning of the chapter, I was very curious to what it meant. I stared at the picture for a few seconds and then it came to me. On the right side of the picture everyone seemed well dressed, well-fed and wealthy, whereas on the left side people are unhappy, dressed in rags, and one man even has a leg missing. I think the message of this painting is obvious. The "outside" world represents the desolate lower class. The injured man seems to be holding his hand out begging for money but no one seems to notice him. The "inside" represents the wealthy upper class. The wealthy people are shown to be obese, implying that they are well fed, and also very well dressed. One gentlemen is enjoying the luxury of a cigar while a man on the outside seems to be starving. I believe that George Grosz painted this to display the realities of life at the time. He wanted people to be aware of the social inequalities that seem to be right in front of their eyes and yet few people noticed it.