While many of the subjects for Dix's portraits can be identified, his watercolor portraits are often embodiments of a stereotype, providing an outlet for his critical attacks on society. Dix's portrait of Mr. Bittermann is an example of this type of depiction. He presents us with an image of the quintessential, hardnosed profiteer: the Bitter Man, unable to see beyond the glare that clouds his vision and apparently blind to the ills he perpetuates in the economy.