The searing psychological realism of the German painter Otto Dix (1891-1969) embodies the experience of Germany between the wars - its traumatized despair and violent decadence. While Dix is best known for his paintings and etchings from this period, which focus unflinchingly on the reality of war and on the world of prostitutes and their clients, this film looks at his career as a whole, tracing his development from early Impressionist-influenced landscapes to his later phase of religiously inspired works. It explores Dix's debt to the masters of the German Renaissance and his strengths as a draughtsman and printmaker, notably in the great series of etchings 'The War'. As well as being one of the greatest war artists of any age, Dix produced many portraits that also exemplify the striking directness of his vision. As this film shows, Dix's visionary creation of art from ugliness retains both its relevance and its power to shock.