Georg Siebert, a New Objectivist who turned bad

I love this picture from 1928, by the painter Georg Siebert. But what do I like exactly ? Maybe the placidity of the scene, a contrast to the often dramatic images in the work of his contemporaries:  war cripples, ugly and miserable prostitutes, spike-helmeted soldiers attacking workers who revolt against mass hunger. This placid, if a tad corny scene reminds us that the Weimar republic was not just political struggle and moral decay, that it was also (for most people) a peaceful, normal living. Economic uncertainty and tiring workdays, for sure, but with a picknick in the park as the reward at the end of the week. Like in the film Menschen am Sonntag (People on Sunday), from 1930, featuring some picknicking youths by a Berlin lake.

From People on Sunday

Georg Siebert was a New Objectivist, as were Otto Dix, Rudolf Schlichter and Christian Schad. But, while other members of that school fell into oblivion with the arrival of Nazis to power, or were even forced to emigrate, Siebert thrived under the new régime. 

He seems to have discovered another string to his bow. No more good-natured irony, no more mild humor when observing the daily life of his fellow citizens, no more humour at all. Now he painted harmonious images of the countryside, pretty landscapes, young women in traditional costume. But, when the war came, also heroic scenes of brave German soldiers conquering Poland. 

No way Siebert could have been labeled "degenerate artist" as Grosz and Dix did. On the contrary, his new style was appreciated by the regime and he was rewarded with prizes and a position as professor at the Karlsruhe art school. The Führer himself purchased some of his paintings. 

I know no other exemples of avant garde artists turning Nazi, no just politically but also in their style. Nolde was a Nazi, for sure, but he never abandoned Expressionism. The same could be said of the poet Gottfried Benn.  

He died, peacefully I imagine, in 1984. He was 88.

Below, two other paintings from his pre-nazi period:

Week-end, from 1928

Erdarbeiter, 1931