Anita Berber

Anita Berber in 'Cocaine' Dance www.wornthrough.com

Anita Berber was famous for her erotic and nude dancing performances and symbolized the decadence of Berlin in the 1920's. She lived a short and wild life by taking drugs constantly - she loved drugs so much she named her dances after them. She was mainly addicted to opium and cocaine and drank on average one bottle of cognac a day. She was described to have fiery red hair and wore heavy dark makeup on her eyes and heart-shaped lips along with a pale face. She died unsurprisingly at the age of 29 in 1928 from excessive drug taking along with tuberculosis. 

Otto Dix's painting of Anita Berber, 1925

Otto Dix never used such a vibrant red in his paintings but it makes sense for him to use it for his portrait of Anita Berber because she presents the colour's symbolism - lust, fiery and the colour of Venus. She is positioned in a supposedly sexual way as she appears curvy. I also think what she is wearing is quite thin fabric or almost see through as you can see the outline detail of her stomach. This can show how comfortable she is in her skin and wants to show it off to the world.