Today’s work of art is by the German Dadaist George Grosz. He was born in Germany, but after 1938 he painted primarily in the United States, though he returned to Berlin late in life. He was perhaps best known for his caricatures. This week’s work, completed around 1928, is known as Political Conversation, The Café. It’s done in watercolor and ink on paper and today hangs in the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, in Madrid, Spain.

Here’s one analysis of the painting:

George Grosz has painted a typical Bierstube scene. Three Germans have gathered in a café to smoke and drink beer. Following his Dadaist period, Grosz — an excellent draftsman and keen social observer — returned to figurative art. He was one of the leading members of the movement known as New Objectivity (Neue Sachlichkeit). But he was also skilled at genre painting, a gift he used to push the art of caricature to new levels of expression.

To learn more about George Grosz, you can start with Wikipedia and MoMA has a biography from the Oxford University Press. MoMA also has a gallery of his work, as does Olga’s Gallery and ArtCyclopedia has numerous links to other galleries showing his art.