Early Modern Art; Influenced by WWI

     In past posts in previous modules, I have given examples of art that are very pleasing to the eye; romantic and classical. It is colorful, radiant, and above all, cheerful. Even in pieces meant to take hold of darker elements, they still had a simplicity that was easy to gaze upon while dissecting its features. However, in this post, we begin to see war's effect on art. How the trauma of witnessing death firsthand can be incorporated into the paper. Gone is the bright and bubbly nature of the previous years, and now all you will see is death and decay. I have presented the elements of death in each piece here and how WWI played a significant role in the art of the early modern era. 


Gassed by John Singer Sargent, 1919

    In this piece, Gassed, by John Singer Sargent, we are witnessed soldiers returning from battle. As the name suggests, here we see the effects of chemical weapons and their impact on the soldier's bodies. As seen in the painting, most of these soldiers are blinded, holding onto one another for guidance and security. This is an exact representation of how war itself can have a tremendous effect on the ones fighting the battles and the sacrifices they make with each passing day. Surrounding them are fallen soldiers; death slowly follows them with each step they take. This piece can also be interpreted as them narrowly escaping death, the dead in piles at their feet as a reminder that they are lucky. Even in the air around them, the sky looks quiet and cold. Filled with ash, there is no life in this sky. 
    Just as I have mentioned before, Gassed is supposed to be a piece to display the use of what was known as mustard gas. An extremely poisonous gas that causes permanent blindness attacks the mucous membranes and the skin, eventually reaching the lungs. This piece is about the after-effects. Although the later posts I will show will be more graphic in nature, the simplicity in this one was meant to be a gentle reminder that war is terrifying even after. This piece, Gassed, became one of the most iconic pieces during WWI. 
    When I first saw the piece, my initial reaction was shocking. As most details I see are graphic, this one is also graphic but is usually set in the middle of the catastrophe. Witnessing the aftermath through the eyes of someone there, I feel this brings a whole new level of horror to the art world. 


Oppy Wood by John Nash, 1917

    Many artists were hired during WWI to document the war and illustrate the travesties for the public to see. The colors here are exaggerated, and the features seem simple yet unique simultaneously. Unlike the last piece, which was meant to reflect life after the war, here, audience members can see what life was like during battle. For example, this painting portrays two soldiers just outside their bunker looking out. Possibly to see if there are any enemies close by, the audience doesn't know. However, they do know that whatever it is, it is not good. The land looks dead, as before, although the art styles differ between these two paintings. This piece allows us to see just how Nash viewed the world. Quiet, empty, dry, and dead.
Contrary to Gassed, in Oppy Wood, there is no sight of dead bodies. In fact, there are only two people depicted here. This almost strikes a horror for the audience as we know when this painting takes place, so we are left wondering as these soldiers are. The mess of silence, will death be arriving soon?


    A German Perspective by Fritz Fuhrken, 1918

    For this last piece, I wanted to pick something to shock viewers, as this piece did me. Slowly leading up to this piece, with each painting I display in this post, this, by far, is the most shocking. That an image that looks so simple in color can be so striking. As this painting was birth by a captured German soldier, you can see the raw emotion depicted on this canvas. From the striking likes of the grenade explosion to the fiery red sky in the background, this is a piece of horror. I believe the simplicity depicted only adds to the fear audiences are left with after viewing this piece. As mentioned before, artists were hired or captured. In this case, this creates visual representations in their work. Here it is no different as we see through the eyes of the other side now. We see the same bloodshed and can almost hear the screams here. This piece is a clear representation of decay. 

References

“Art Forever Changed by World War I.” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 21 July 2012, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/la-xpm-2012-jul-21-la-et-cm-world-war-art-20120722-story.html.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Renaissance

Image
  The Piece that I chose was the Mona Lisa as it is still very relevant today. At the time seeing an oil painting capture such realism was very influential and even inspired other artist to create similar works from Leonardo Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.  This painting was birthed in Florence sometime between 1503 - 1519. That such a simple painting that captures a women faintly smiling could cause such an impact on art in the Italian Renaissance era. Personally I would own a copy of this piece as I love the discussions still being discussed about this piece of art. How it influences the art world even today. Her smile is almost mysterious but calming at the same time. I also find it fascinating that a simple portrait of a simple women could be so beautiful. This piece is timeless.   As this painting became a treasure for many and has been stolen many times. Which is another reason why I would love a copy of this painting because it’s story is even more intriguing. Her smile is almost hypn
Read more

Romanticism Era, Realism v. Romanticism

Image
      In this post, I will compare two forms of art in the romanticism era, one, of course, being romanticism and the other being realism. Looking at their elements and the way artists use colors, brush strokes, and even imagery to display their work in the romantic era. In other words, these works often show real-life events or exaggerate them by romanticizing them.  Realism The Gleaners, Jean-Francois Milet     In this piece, we can see a depiction of three peasants tending the fields. This is an excellent example of realism, as this was the case in the early 1800s. We can see no exaggerated colors; these are real people who existed, ad the colors appear dull and unsaturated. For most, this was a painted description of rural life, a touch of nature sprinkled on the canvas. This can also display the turning of the seasons, as we can see in the browning of the grass and how misty the atmosphere is. However, what I believe can be interpreted from this piece is to give a realistic view o
Read more

World War II Artwork

Image
     For this week, I chose to look at art created during the World War II era that shows fairly graphic details of the war. From battle scenes to the trauma depicted in pieces to even illustrating real people and their work for soldiers. This was a vivid and horrific time; the imagery of death in these artworks is prevalent in this era. This also correlates to the war, a stain on human history, the bloodbath we call war, and the murders of thousands of innocents. Similar to the first World War, art was used as a window into the painter's mind, an outlook on how these artists witnessed the war through their own eyes. The destruction they saw and the death they illustrated on every canvas with every stroke. Each piece has its own form of horror depicted in its image, some with gore while others are just the knowledge of what is taking place in the work. All uses of light, lack of color or overuse of color, and shading add to the disturbing elements of the message of each painting. 
Read more