World War II Artwork

    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. 

 Blind Man in Belsen by Alan Moore, 1947

    The Blind Man, created by Australian artist Alan Moore was one of his more well-known pieces of this period. Having a first-person perspective of the murders of prisoners of the Jewish population, this piece serves as an outlook on this gruesome event. The bodies illuminated by the dusty sky give this painting a deary tone; the smell of death almost emulates this image. "For three days, he drew and photographed the skeletal survivors and their persecutors, including the SS troops who were forced to bury their victims" (artsandculture.google.com). In the background, we can also see people trying to clean up the dead, as they all begin to vanish the farther back you look. I think this piece relates to this era because it offers a story. Even today, people can look at this painting created in 1947 and still look at the elements as the story is displayed here. The sadness on their faces, the fear these people felt here, and the horror that Moore was trying to communicate here are very prevalent. Even the blind man, who looks to be the main element here, offers viewers that even the blind isn't spared from the horrors of World War II. We can still see him wandering aimlessly through the field of corpses, one of the few survivors. 

Australian War Memorial by Alan Moore, 1945

    In this piece, also created by Moore, we, the viewer, get a closer look at the holocaust and its victims. As the SS troops are unloading the dead bodies of the Jewish people off the truck for cleanup, the yellow musk in the air almost offers an example of the stench in the air; the constant smell of death. Both of these works I have listed here are just a couple of examples of Moore's work, as he was traveling with British troops who liberated these camps and was horrified by what he saw. Hearing about these murders and the torture these people went through doesn't do their deaths as much justice as Moore's work. Each piece is carefully sculpted and careful. Giving his audience precisely what he saw. 

The Price by Tom Lea, 1944

    This piece is a little more graphic than the other two; the Price was created by Tom Lea, a hired war artist. What I find most fascinating and frightening about this piece is that while Lea was on the battlefield with all the soldiers, this soldier's death was authentic for Lea. As this man was dying, this artist sketched his death as it was happening. We, as the audience, are witnessing the end of a real man and see the agonizing pain on his face as it is happening to him. This brings a whole new horror element to war art as it was terrifying; however, it feels more natural here. The striking red of this mans blood and the sheer fear in his eyes leave audience members shocked; his arm is falling apart before our eyes. As previously stated, simply learning about World War II doesn't offer as much horror as being able to actually see through another person's eyes does. 

The Thousand Yard Stare by Tom Lea, 1944

    The past pieces I presented in this blog post show the more gory parts of the war. However, I feel that this piece, The Thousand Yard Stare, offers viewers a new sense of fear. While only seeing death, we know how this would affect the people who witnessed this; they can never unsee it. Permanently engraved in their minds with the constant realization that they were surrounded by death. Like in the truck unloading from death camps or the murders of their fellow soldiers, WW2 offered nothing but violence at every corner. In this painting, you can see this in this man's face. He has seen some things that will live with him forever. From the absence in his eyes to the worried part on his lips, he will never be the same as this was traumatic to everyone. This man offers us an example of what that trauma can look like, fear. This image almost engrosses you in his story; though he is nameless, he will never be forgotten. 

First Ache by Tom Lea, 1944

    This painting depicts the United States Marines on the Peleliu, where the highest casualty rate in American history was located. While on the front lines of this battle with nothing but a sketch pad and a pencil, Lea went to work right away, creating this piece of one of the U.S. Marines heading to the shore. The destruction of the battle is in the background, as most didn't even make it to the beach before meeting their end. However, this man looks cold and severely as he hangs on the edge of this boat. Lea captured this man's dedication perfectly, as we all can see the readiness on his face in the piece. While not as scary as the other, seeing this war from a new perspective offers a better understanding that although the battle is terrifying, the people who fought were dedicated, which is depicted here. 

Before the Horror and Self Portrait by Guy de Montlaur, 1969

    What I love about these paintings is that they were not created by hired war artists like the ones I presented before; they were done by a soldier years after the war. "This World War II hero's art said what words couldn't" (nytimes.com). We can see the chaos in his mind and deconstruct it. 

    The first piece, Before the Horror,  was created after a car accident Montluar was in that triggered previous war memories. "He couldn't help himself: He had to paint. I think it was the only way he could think about all the things that happened," says his daughter Daphine Sloan. Sometimes words are more challenging to form than simply putting them on paper. This man faced a lot, and trying to create these words can be triggering. Therefore, this is this man's trauma on paper. A look into the mind of a war hero. 

    The second is a self-portrait he made of himself, later writing a journal entry almost talking to this painting. "My friend that I have hurt, will you one day be able to look at me, to love me?" (nytimes.com). Seeing through the perspective of someone who experienced WW2 firsthand brings a whole new element of curiosity to the table; why did he make the paintings the way he did? Simple, because war is chaos. 

References

Philipps, Dave. “This World War II Hero's Art Said What Words Couldn't.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 June 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/12/magazine/world-war-ii-d-day-artist.html. 

Vallen, Mark. “" Tom Lea & the Art of War.” RSS, https://art-for-a-change.com/blog/2009/07/tom-lea-the-art-of-war.html.